Witchcraft

London England March 8 2012 The Guardian newspaper

…//..But despite the extraordinary horror of this case, African groups have warned that belief in witchcraft is increasingly common in some communities and that other // __[|//children//]__ //in the UK are "suffering in silence" after being branded as witches.// //"We were concerned about this before this trial of Kristy Bamu," said Debbie Ariyo, executive director of// __[|//Africans Unite Against Child Abuse//]__ //(Afruca), who added that a boom in pentecostal churches was leading to// //more children being accused of witchcraft.// //"This is not a problem with all pastors or all churches, but the branding of children as witches is not abating. It is a growing problem. There are so many children suffering in silence."// //In response to the case the// __[|//Victoria Climbie Foundation//]__ //announced on Thursday that in April it would be launching a cross-border initiative with Kelly Bamu and some of the teenager's friends who would work in schools and in communities to highlight the dangers of ritualised child abuse and witch branding. "A lot of awareness raising has been done, but this is also a problem in other EU countries such as Belgium," said director Mor Dioum.// //The// //83 incidents uncovered in the past decade only scratch the surface// //of a hidden// __[|//crime//]__ //, a ccording to Detective Superintendent Terry Sharpe, head of the child abuse investigation command at Scotland Yard.// //An average of eight children a year in Greater London are victims of abuse based on witchcraft- //// style exorcisms, but this only reflects cases resulting in police investigations.// __[]__