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Many eldercides in African societies are motivated by witchcraft beliefs. Yet, witchcraft-related eldercide remains an understudied criminological subject. The present study explores the scale, features and socio-cultural and economic contexts of witchcraft-related elder homicide in Kenya. A total of 94 media articles reporting the witchcraft-related killings of 136 older people in Kenya between January 2012 and December 2021 were perused. Key information about the victims and perpetrators and the circumstances surrounding each event/eldercide was collected and critically analysed. The data suggest that approximately 75% of witchcraft-related homicide victims in Kenya are 60 years old and above. Most victims were females (mainly widows) of low socio-economic backgrounds. All the cases occurred in rural communities, and the perpetrators were largely young adult males. Arson, slashing with a machete and clubbing/beating were the dominant methods used to kill alleged witches. Most killings were motivated by the belief that the victims caused misfortunes/calamities by witchcraft. However, witchcraft allegations and concomitant killings were sometimes weaponized to obtain the victims’ property/land. Because witchcraft beliefs are deeply entrenched in the culture and philosophy of the Kenyan people, the use of a multifaceted approach may be the most appropriate way of curtailing the problem.

Violence and abuse by grandchildren towards their grandparent kinship carers is an important but under-researched issue. Research evidence on the perceived legitimacy of aged-related myths, beliefs, and witchcraft accusations against older people, especially grandparents, in Ghana and Africa suggest that violence and abuse against grandparent kinship carers could be common. This study explored the types of violence or abuse experienced by grandparent kinship carers, and the meanings grandparents associate with the abuse. Thirty-one grandparents were recruited from four communities in Ghana following a horizontal network sampling approach and interviewed using a qualitative in-depth narrative storytelling strategy. Analysis of the narratives revealed three common types of abuse experienced by the grandparent kinship carers which were perpetrated by children living under their care: (1) insults and verbal abuse, (2) stealing and financial exploitation, and (3) physical threats. However, the grandparents rationalised and justified the abusive behaviours by attributing them to factors within the children’s eco-system, such as friends and household members. The findings highlighted three crucial interrelated factors that underlie these incidents of violence including cultural beliefs around witchcraft, family structural dynamics, and grandparents’ attitudes towards violence. Practical recommendations, including the development of a community normative change program, have been proposed to address violence by grandchildren towards grandparent kinship carers in Ghana.

Focusing on conflicting care practies and the enduring belief in witchcraft, this study sheds light on the cultural beliefs as obstacles to care of mental health care patients in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The belief system prevents patients from accepting and adhering to mental health care and receiving proper medical treatment, which ultimately has an impact on their wellbeing. This study pinpoints the factors influencing the maintenance of witchcraft beliefs in the Vhembe District as well as the disparity in care practises. The study was conducted in the Vhembe District, situated in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The Vhembe District was selected for its diverse population and representation of both rural and urban locations, providing insight into mental health care differences. Its rich cultural diversity, including beliefs in witchcraft, offers a unique context to understand broader cultural and healthcare challenges in South Africa related to mental health care. To examine the challenges of care practises and the prevalence of witchcraft beliefs in mental health care, carers of service users participated in focus groups and interviews. Insights are thematically analysed, and the data was derived using related theoretical models. The results highlighted the significant role that inconsistent care procedures and deeply ingrained witchcraft beliefs play in impeding immediate access to appropriate mental health care. These elements also play a role in the delays in patients' compliance with and acceptance of mental health care practises. This study highlighted the impact of competing care practises and witchcraft beliefs and the difficult issues faced by carers of mental health care users in the Vhembe District. This study offered invaluable insights into the complex landscape of conflicting care practises and the impact of witchcraft beliefs on mental health care in the Vhembe District. The study findings revealed how cultural factors obstruct patients from accessing proper mental health care. The findings emphasised the necessity of interventions addressing these challenges and promoting culturally sensitive mental health care practices. Further research could investigate the effectiveness of such interventions and factors the contributing to the persistence of witchcraft beliefs, providing insights for enhancing mental health care across South Africa.

Witchcraft-triggered violence is widespread in contemporary African societies. This study establishes the magnitude and identifies the principal features, motivations and socio-cultural contexts of witchcraft-driven mistreatment of children and older women in Ghana. It achieves this aim by embarking on an in-depth analysis of cases of witchcraft-related abuse publicised in three renowned local Ghanaian media outlets between 2014 and 2020 and comparing the results with the findings of extant empirical studies. The data support the view that witchcraft-fuelled abuse is endemic in Ghana, and the worst victims are children and older women of low socio-economic background. It demonstrates that the commonest forms of mistreatment and violence resulting from belief in witchcraft are murder and torture (perpetrated with various weapons/tools), forcible confinement and enslavement, neglect and child labour. The most dominant motivations for such violations are the suspicion that the alleged witches are responsible for family or community members’ death or illness and the supposed victims’ economic or financial predicament. The study stresses the need to criminalise witchcraft accusations and bring pastors and traditional spiritualists under closer scrutiny since many witchcraft allegations and the ensuing persecutions are largely encouraged by their dubious activities. La violencia provocada por la brujería está muy extendida en las sociedades africanas contemporáneas. Este estudio establece la magnitud e identifica las principales características, motivaciones y contextos socioculturales del maltrato de niños y mujeres mayores provocado por la brujería en Ghana. Logra este objetivo al embarcarse en un análisis en profundidad de los casos de abusos relacionados con la brujería publicados en tres reconocidos medios de comunicación locales de Ghana entre 2014 y 2020 y comparando los resultados con los hallazgos de los estudios empíricos existentes. Los datos apoyan la opinión de que el abuso provocado por la brujería es endémico en Ghana, y las peores víctimas son los niños y las mujeres mayores de origen socioeconómico bajo. Demuestra que las formas más comunes de maltrato y violencia que resultan de la creencia en la brujería son el asesinato y la tortura (perpetrados con varias armas/herramientas), el confinamiento y esclavitud forzosos, la negligencia y el trabajo infantil. Las motivaciones más dominantes para tales violaciones son la sospecha de que las presuntas brujas son responsables de la muerte o enfermedad de miembros de la familia o de la comunidad y de la situación económica o financiera de las supuestas víctimas. El estudio enfatiza la necesidad de criminalizar las acusaciones de brujería y de poner a los pastores y espiritistas tradicionales bajo un escrutinio más detenido, ya que muchas de las acusaciones de brujería y las persecuciones resultantes son en gran parte alentadas por sus actividades dudosas. La violence déclenchée par la sorcellerie est répandue dans les sociétés africaines contemporaines. Cette étude établit l’ampleur et identifie les principales caractéristiques, motivations et contextes socioculturels de la maltraitance des enfants et des femmes âgées par la sorcellerie au Ghana. Il atteint cet objectif en se lançant dans une analyse approfondie des cas d’abus liés à la sorcellerie publiés dans trois médias locaux renommés du Ghana entre 2014 et 2020 et en comparant les résultats avec les conclusions d'études empiriques existantes. Les données soutiennent l’idée que les abus liés à la sorcellerie sont endémiques au Ghana et que les pires victimes sont les enfants et les femmes âgées de faible milieu socio-économique. Cela démontre que les formes les plus courantes de mauvais traitements et de violence résultant de la croyance en la sorcellerie sont le meurtre et la torture (perpétrés avec diverses armes/outils), la séquestration et l’esclavage, la négligence et le travail des enfants. Les motivations les plus dominantes de ces violations sont le soupçon que les sorcières présumées sont responsables de la mort ou de la maladie de membres de la famille ou de la communauté et de la situation économique ou financière des victimes supposées. L'étude souligne la nécessité de criminaliser les accusations de sorcellerie et de soumettre les pasteurs et les spiritualistes traditionnels à un examen plus approfondi, car de nombreuses allégations de sorcellerie et les persécutions qui en résultent sont largement encouragées par leurs activités douteuses. 巫术引发的暴力在当代非洲社会中很普遍。这项研究确定了加纳的巫术驱动的对儿童和老年妇女的虐待的规模，并确定了其主要特征，动机和社会文化背景。它通过深入分析加纳的三个著名媒体在2014年至2020年之间公布的与巫术有关的虐待案件，并将结果与现有的实证研究结果进行比较，从而实现了这一目标。数据支持这样一种观点，即在加纳，由巫术引发的虐待是地方性的，受害最严重的是社会经济背景较低的儿童和老年妇女。它表明，对巫术的信仰导致的最普遍的虐待和暴力形式是谋杀和酷刑（使用各种武器/工具犯下），被强制拘禁和奴役，忽视和童工。发生此类侵权行为的最主要动机是怀疑所指控的女巫对家庭或社区成员的死亡或疾病以及所称受害者的经济或财务困境负有责任。该研究强调有必要将巫术指控定为犯罪，并使牧师和传统精神主义者受到更严格的审查，因为许多巫术指控和随后的迫害在很大程度上受到其可疑活动的鼓舞。 ينتشر العنف النّاتج عن السحر على نطاق واسع في المجتمعات الإفريقيّة المعاصرة. تبيّنُ هذه الدراسة حجم سوء معاملة الأطفال والنساء المسنّات بدافع السحر في غانا وتحدّد سماتها الرّئيسيّة ودوافعها وسياقاتها الاجتماعيّة والثقافيّة. يقتضي تحقيق هذا الهدف الشّروع في تحليل معمّق لحالات الإساءة المتعلقة بالسحر التي تم نشرها في ثلاثة منافذٍ إعلاميّةٍ غانيّةٍ محليّةٍ ذائعة الصّيت بين عامي 2014 و 2020 ، ومقارنة نتائج الدراسة بنتائج الدراسات التجريبيّة القائمة. تدعم البيانات الرأي القائل بأن الإساءة التي يغذيها السحر سائدة في غانا، وأن أسوأ الضحايا هم الأطفال والنساء المسنّات من خلفيّة اجتماعيّة واقتصاديّة منخفضة. وتُبيّن أن أكثر أشكال سوء المعاملة والعنف، نتيجة الإعتقاد بالسحر، شيوعًا هي القتل والتعذيب (ترتكب باستخدام أسلحة/أدوات مختلفة)، والاسترقاق والحبس القسري، والإهمال، وعمالة الأطفال. وأكثر الدوافع ا شيوعًا لمثل هذه الانتهاكات هي الاشتباه في أن السّحرة المزعومين مسؤولون عن وفاة أفراد الأسرة أو المجتمع أو مرضهم، وعن المأزق الاقتصادي أو المالي للضحايا المفتَرضين. تؤكد الدراسة الحاجة إلى تجريم تهمة السحر، وإخضاع القساوسة والروحانيين التقليديين لمزيد من التدقيق نظرًا لأن العديد من مزاعم السحر والاضطهاد النّاجم عنه يتم تشجيعه إلى حد كبير من خلال أنشطتهم المريبة.

This chapter traces the long-standing interpretations of witchcraft in New England. It takes advantage of studies on occult crime in early modern Europe that has enriched the understanding of how concerns over magical mischief intersected with gender, class, religion, and the law. It also identifies historians that stressed the divergence of elite and folk views on the occult and tended to see witch-hunting as a process imposed from above. The chapter looks at newer studies on European witchcraft that have broken down dichotomous views. It reveals a greater level of give and take between common folk and elites when it came to witch beliefs and shared responsibility for witch-hunting.