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RCGP Safeguarding toolkit

Part 2A: Identification of abuse and neglect

Child abuse linked to faith or belief

Certain kinds of child abuse are linked to faith or belief. Child abuse linked to faith or belief is not confined to one faith, nationality, ethnic group or community. Cases have been recorded worldwide across various religions including Christian, Muslim, Hindu and pagan faiths among others. Not all with the belief go on to harm children. The number of known cases suggests that only a small minority of people who believe in witchcraft or spirit possession go on to abuse children. Under-reporting of abuse is, however, likely.

Abuse may happen anywhere, but it most commonly occurs within the child’s home.

Child abuse linked to faith or belief includes belief in concepts of:

  • witchcraft and spirit possession, demons or the devil acting through children or leading them astray (traditionally seen in some Christian beliefs)
  • the evil eye or djinns (traditionally known in some Islamic faith contexts) and dakini (in the Hindu context)
  • ritual or muti murders where the killing of children is believed to bring supernatural benefits or the use of their body parts is believed to produce potent magical remedies
  • use of belief in magic or witchcraft to create fear in children to make them more compliant when they are being trafficked for domestic slavery or sexual exploitation.

This is not an exhaustive list and there will be other examples where children have been harmed when adults think that their actions have brought bad fortune, such as telephoning a wrong number which is believed by some to allow malevolent spirits to enter the home.

Common features
  • Wider social or community consensus that witchcraft, for example, actually exists.
  • Sometimes a faith leader or other influential figure is at the centre, promoting the belief and methods of resolving the supposed problem by harming children.
  • Parents or carers have also been key perpetrators in many of the known cases. This can make the abuse harder to find out about, harder to get evidence to prosecute and harder to prevent in future.
  • Perpetrators may believe they are saving the child as they believe the child is the victim of a supernatural force. There may also be the belief that the child can harm others which can generate a real fear in those who would normally be expected to protect the child, including parents or close family. This fear that a child may cause harm to, or kill, siblings, parents and other family or friends can be a critical factor in the abuse.
  • Children may be scapegoated to reconcile misfortune that has occurred to the family or community, such as an adult family member becoming unemployed or being in poverty. In these situations, those who are different because they have some special traits (such as being particularly bright, having difficult behaviour, having a disability or children living away from their parents) are the target of scapegoating, being accused of having caused the misfortune by supernatural means. The most vulnerable people within a group offer the least ability to resist being scapegoated, and children are a group who are inherently vulnerable, needing protection from adults around them.
Common factors and causes

A range of factors can contribute to the abuse of a child for reasons of faith or belief. Some of the most common ones are below.

  • Belief in evil spirits: belief in evil spirits that can ‘possess’ children is often accompanied by a belief that a possessed child can ‘infect’ others with the condition. This could be through contact with shared food, or simply being in the presence of the child.
  • Scapegoating: a child could be singled out as the cause of misfortune within the home, such as financial difficulties, divorce, infidelity, illness or death.
  • Bad behaviour: sometimes bad or abnormal behaviour is attributed to spiritual forces. Examples include a child being disobedient, rebellious, overly independent, wetting the bed, having nightmares or falling ill.
  • Physical and emotional differences: a child could be singled out for having a physical difference or disability. Documented cases included children with learning disabilities, mental health issues, epilepsy, autism, stammers, deafness and LGBTQ+.
  • Gifts and uncommon characteristics: if a child has a particular skill or talent, this can sometimes be rationalised as the result of possession or witchcraft. This can also be the case if the child is from a multiple or difficult pregnancy.
  • Complex family structure: research suggests that a child living with extended family, non-biological parents, or foster parents is more at risk. In these situations they are more likely to have been subject to trafficking and made to work in servitude.

Child abuse linked to faith or belief can include physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse.

  • Physical abuse: this can involve beating, burning, cutting, stabbing, semi-strangulating, tying up the child, or rubbing chilli peppers or other substances on the child’s genitals or eyes.
  • Emotional abuse: emotional abuse can occur in the form of isolation. A child may not be allowed near or to share a room with family members, and threatened with abandonment. The child may also be persuaded that they are possessed. The act of telling a child that they are possessed by an evil spirit or told that they are a witch can be emotionally abusive.
  • Neglect: in situations of neglect, the child’s family and community may have failed to ensure appropriate medical care, supervision, education, good hygiene, nourishment, clothing or warmth.
  • Sexual abuse: children who have been singled out in this way can be particularly vulnerable to sexual abusers within the family, community or faith organisation. These people exploit the belief as a form of control or threat. Children could also be subject to practices through the deliverance process that are sexually abusive e.g. having to be bathed undress in the presence of others. Trafficked children from some countries have been known to be subjected to practices designed to control them. Some of these practices involve using their pubic hair and undergarments in rituals.

Children who may be more at risk of child abuse linked to faith or belief:

  • Children with disability including autism, epilepsy, down’s syndrome, dyslexia etc.
  • Children with albinism.
  • Children living away from home in private fostering situations or in domestic servitude situations.
  • Children living with a stepparent, with one of the natural parents absent or dead.
  • Children whose parents have been branded as witches.
  • Children who are seen as ‘naughty’ or have challenging behaviour.
  • Precocious children and left handed children.
  • Children who are living within complex family structures e.g. a polygamous setting or reconstituted family.
What to look out for

Indicators of child abuse linked to faith or belief include the following and can be similar to other types of abuse:

  • Physical injuries, such as bruises or burns (including historical injuries/scaring).
  • A child reporting that they are or have been accused of being ‘evil’, and/or that they are having the ‘devil beaten out of them’.
  • The child or family may use words such as ‘kindoki’, ‘djin’, ‘juju’ or ‘voodoo’ - all of which refer to spiritual beliefs.
  • A child becoming noticeably confused, withdrawn, disorientated or isolated and appearing alone amongst other children.
  • A child’s personal care deteriorating (eg rapid loss of weight, being hungry, turning up to school without food or lunch money, being unkempt with dirty clothes).
  • It may be directly evident that the child’s parent does not show concern for or a close bond with them.
  • A child’s attendance at school or college becomes irregular or there is a deterioration in a child’s performance.
  • A child is taken out of a school altogether without another school place having been arranged.
  • Wearing unusual jewellery/items or in possession of strange ornaments/scripts.
Response to child abuse linked to faith or belief

As with all types of child abuse, the response to concerns about tackling this type of abuse should be focused on keeping the child safe and bringing the perpetrators to justice. The response must also involve engagement with those individuals, families and in some cases faith or other communities whose belief underlies the harm.

It is not about challenging people’s beliefs, but where beliefs lead to abuse that must not be tolerated.

Usual safeguarding procedures should be followed when abuse or neglect is suspected, ensuring you mention you are concerned the child may be a victim of abuse linked to faith and abuse and the reasons why you are concerned.

The National FGM Centre has further helpful advice on responding to concerns about child abuse linked to faith or belief.

References