Modern Witch Hunts: A Persistent Human Rights Crisis

In modern society, the term "witch" often evokes images of fictional characters or Halloween costumes, yet for countless individuals across the globe, this label means a harsh reality of persecution and suffering. Remarkably, the scope of modern-day witch trials extends beyond individual cases, revealing a widespread human rights crisis that demands global attention and action.

Witch hunts, far from being merely historical phenomena, persist as contemporary human rights violations throughout much of the southern hemisphere, parts of Asia, and even in some developed countries including the United Kingdom (United Nations Human Rights Council). According to United Nations data, the last decade has witnessed over 20,000 victims of witchcraft accusations across 60 countries. The Indian state of Jharkhand alone reported 173 witch-hunt-related killings between 2014 and 2020 (Chairunnisa). These statistics demonstrate not only the global scale of crisis, but also reveal a concerning pattern: witch hunts thrive in regions where cultural misconceptions meet with social instability and weak legal protections. 

The root causes of witchcraft accusations often lie in socio-economic challenges such as poverty, unemployment, illness, and inadequate access to public services. Research from the University of California, Berkeley reveals that in rural Tanzania, witch-related murders double during years of crop failure due to extreme rainfall (Chairunnisa). This correlation demonstrates a critical fact that witch hunts are a misguided coping mechanism for communities to externalize their fear and frustration when it comes to environmental and economic stress. Without practical solutions and support from external sources, communities that are unable to address systemic issues channel their anxiety into identifying and punishing supposed supernatural culprits, which means the most exposed members of a community are always the primary targets. For instance, in India, Dalit women are already susceptible to discrimination due to their caste status, their gender identity further aggravates their condition by making them primary targets for witchcraft-related violence (Chairunnisa). This pattern of targeting marginalized groups indicates how the practice of witch hunts often perpetuates existing social hierarchies, inadequately affecting the lives of vulnerable demographics.

However, the cruelest part of witch hunts only comes after accusation – persecution. Accused individuals need to endure a wide range of human rights violations, including public humiliation, forced confessions, violent beatings, expulsion from their homes, and in extreme cases, burning alive or murder. Through the public nature of these punishments and their severity, it is clear that communities want to not only punish these individuals to relieve the resentment in their hearts but also to maintain their power structure, deterring others from challenging traditional beliefs, even if they are purely superstitious and without the support of any evidence.

Three major groups of people constitute most of the victim demographic: children, women, and elders Since most children are unable to resist or even prove their innocence, they are particularly vulnerable to these accusations. According to the African Child Policy Forum, thousands of African children are facing witch-related abuse on a daily basis (African Child Policy Forum). In Benin, after escaping a witch camp, the 13-year-old girl Effia cried and said, “Everyone suspected me of being a witch – their looks, actions, and words were just unbearable.” As she recalls the painful experience of being beaten in the camp and shunned by her parents and community, the psychological trauma these atrocities inflict is clear (Nyanyuki). Yet, the long-term impact of targeting children is not only insidious because of the break of bonds between families, but also how it socializes young people into accepting violence as a legitimized way to perceive stress, fear, and unfamiliarity, which ultimately contributes to the perpetuated cycle of violence and superstition. Moreover, women and elders suffer from witch hunts immensely as well. The concept of gender inequality is ingrained in many developing regions, and even evolved into ideas such as women are dangerous and evil. For example, in Nepal, women who are deemed to have supernatural power face brutal humiliation, including being forced to consume human excrement and endure public nude parades (Chairunnisa). These degrading rituals strip victims of their dignity and humanity, removing them from the social fabric of their communities. A particularly distressing incident occurred in Papua New Guinea in July 2022, where nine women, including a pregnant woman and two elderly individuals, faced torture and arson after being accused of causing a trucking boss's death through sorcery, despite medical evidence indicating a stroke as the cause (Chairunnisa). The rejection of scientific explanations and favoring supernatural ones leads to women, especially those in this inequality narrative, being completely vilified. Additionally, without a proper justice system’s intervention, more and more of them are trapped by such false beliefs when it comes to the deaths or misfortunes of individuals who hold power and social status. Unfortunately, the fact that these documented cases likely represent only a fraction of actual incidents suggests a harsh reality: the true scale of this human rights crisis remains hidden, protected by geographic isolation and cultural silence.

Although there have been many efforts to eliminate witch hunts from ancient times to the present, the iceberg of superstition will not be dissolved easily without a comprehensive plan and combined actions from international organizations, local governments, and charities. Fortunately, the progress is ongoing. In 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks, which prompted countries like Malawi and Uganda to implement protective legislation. For instance, Malawi’s new laws led to a significant reduction in accusing and attacking women and children with albinism, from 60 cases in 2016 to only 4 in 2021 (Nyanyuki). This success suggests how international pressure can catalyze meaningful local change, particularly when it leads to concrete legal reforms. However, the persistence of witch hunts despite legal prohibitions means that legislative solutions alone can do little to change the complex cultural misconceptions that perpetuate these practices, signaling the need for local charities. So far, grassroots organizations and educational campaigns played a critical role in changing community perspectives and supporting victims. ANANDI, a female-led organization in India, presents the world with an effective approach to tackling this issue. Founded by survivors of witchcraft accusations, ANANDI works to dispel superstitions through health education, provides shelter to victims in the region, facilitates police intervention in cases of persecution, and empowers women through leadership development (Yasmin). Gitaben, a Dalit woman with limited formal education who suffered from witchcraft accusations, was elected to her village council through the organization’s mentoring and training (ANANDI India). ANANDI’s model is successful as it addresses both immediate protection needs and long-term social transformations. By empowering survivors to become community leaders, expanding organizations like ANANDI can challenge the existing power structure that enables witch hunts to persist, effectively facilitate positive change within these communities and give marginalized groups opportunities to shine.

The persistence of witch hunts in the 21st century represents a critical human rights challenge that demands immediate attention and action. Victims of witch trials are not fictional figures. They endure unbearable persecution and aftermath and suffer from inequality due to their gender and class, and public dramatization of witch hunts only downplays and obscures the victims’ suffering. Therefore, taking a global response to this crisis is crucial. The combined efforts of international organizations, governments, and local community initiatives can work society toward eliminating these discriminatory practices and creating a world where superstition is not a justification for human rights violations and individuals can pursue their aspirations free from the stigma of witchcraft accusations. The eradication of modern witch hunts represents not only a human rights imperative, but also a crucial step towards building a more equitable and just society.

Works Cited

African Child Policy Forum. "African governments urged to stamp out the horror of witchcraft accusations against children." African Child Policy Forum, 11 May 2022, gracamacheltrust.org/2022/05/31/african-governments-urged-to-stamp-out-the-horror-of-witchcraft-accusations-against-children/#:~:text=New%20research%20from%20African%20Child,are%20turning%20a%20blind%20eye. Accessed 25 May 2024.

ANANDI India. "Gitaben Harijan, Panchayat Member and Gram Sathi." ANANDI India, 8 Apr. 2021, anandi-india.org/gitaben-harijan-panchayat-member-and-gram-sathi-abhlod-block-devgadh-baria-district-dahod/. Accessed 26 May 2025.

Chairunnisa, Maurizka Callista. "Rethinking The Issue of Witchcraft-related Violence." Modern Diplomacy, 7 Mar. 2023, moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/03/07/rethinking-the-issue-of-witchcraft-related-violence/. Accessed 25 May 2025.

Nyanyuki, Joan. "Witch-hunts and ritual child abuse are a stain on Africa. We must confront them." The Guardian, 8 June 2022, www.theguardian.com/global-development/commentisfree/2022/jun/08/witch-hunts-ritual-child-abuse-albinism-africa. Accessed 21 May 2024.

United Nations Human Rights Council. "Study on the situation of the violations and abuses of human rights rooted in harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks, as well as stigmatization." 4 Apr. 2023. PDF.

Yasmin, Seema. "Witch Hunts Today: Abuse of Women, Superstition and Murder Collide in India." Scientific American, 11 Jan. 2018, www.scientificamerican.com/article/witch-hunts-today-abuse-of-women-superstition-and-murder-collide-in-india/. Accessed 25 May 2025.