_NOT_QUITE_NORMAL_

Some of this might be disturbing....

Along the southern edge of West Africa, countless children (many under the age of 10) are abused, abandoned, tortured and even murdered every day by parents, neighbours and religious preachers.

Why?

Because they have been denounced as witches.

A death in the family, it is the fault of the witches.

A failed crop, it is the fault of the witches.

Mania, depression and poverty, it is the fault of the witches.

“Witches” are "identified" by religious leaders at extremist churches where Christianity and traditional beliefs have combined to produce a deep-rooted belief in, and fear of, witchcraft. The priests spread the message that child-witches bring destruction, disease and death to their families. And they say that, once possessed, children can cast spells and inflict it on others others.

Once identified, preists have been known to use tactics such as burning, poisoning, beating the child , chaining them up, even burying them alive in order to get a confession or punish them. The children can find themselves locked in small, dark rooms for weeks, deprived of sleep, food and sunlight.

Imagine the witch trials of the medieval times and you’re pretty close.

Some parents of these poor children pay enormous sums of money for a “deliverance” (exorcism), often it will be all that they have. In many cases the pastor will claim that the witch will need a second, third and fourth deliverance, which the impoverished families can not afford. During the "deliverance" ceremonies, the children are shaken violently, dragged around the room and have potions poured into their eyes. If a child can’t be cured in this way then the child will often be exlied or killed.

The resulting homeless children are extremely vulnerable to the serious human-trafficking problem, rape and abuse. Not to mention the mental scarring of being alone and homeless at such a young age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZVVbGEOoCM

It’s not merely a case of evil, brainwashing priests being blindly followed by worshippers.

The combination of economic, agricultural, social and political unrest in the country creates a massive amount of tension. Things are going wrong and people want a reason for it, distrust for the government makes these people turn to another source for answers.

There is an organisation out there to help them called Stepping Stones Nigeria.

Basically they take these children out of danger, give them a home and offer some rehabilitation from the trauma they have suffered.

SSN is still a baby charity and really needs to expand. They need your money and so do the children.

Please at least check it out and help stop this insanity.

http://www.steppingstonesnigeria.org/node/18