With thanks to Global Health NOW. Full article: https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/weaponization-witchcraft-laws-...
=
More than 250 murders of elderly women in Kenya between 2020 and 2022 have been linked to the increased use of “anti-witchcraft” laws.
The laws, which allow murder in “self-defense” from witchcraft, primarily affect elderly widows, who are frequently accused by their late husbands’ families of trying to gain property. The women are then shunned and lynched.
However, behavior attributed to witchcraft may actually be symptoms of dementia—and increased life expectancy has led to a rise in female-headed households and dementia cases.
Compounding factors: Kenya’s booming population and high unemployment rates often make elderly women targets for those seeking resources. Cultural beliefs about the evils of witchcraft mean that violators are rarely prosecuted.
=
COMMENT (NPW): The list of health conditions that attract hatred, stigma and even murder continues to grow. It is an indictment of the global evidence ecosystem that people should identify a person with dementia as a witch.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
