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Study Explores Ritual Killings In Kenya - Who's Doing It And Why

Ritual killings are reported regularly around Africa. Children are particularly targeted because they can't repel attacks, and "because of beliefs about the potency of their body parts", writes Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu, a researcher and lecturer at Aberystwyth University.

Owusu said that in 2022, the victims in more than half of all the ritual murders reported in Kenya and Ghana were children. "I found that the major factors contributing to the persistence of ritual child murders were superstition, economic hardship, illiteracy, and inefficient criminal justice systems," Owusu wrote.

The researcher urged governments to bring the activities of traditional healers and occult-related sects under closer scrutiny, while promoting education and awareness that emphasize the need for supervision of children as well as stronger criminal justice systems.

InFocus

African Child Forum

(file photo)

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