HUNDREDS of women in Ghana accused of witchcraft are living in fear and poverty in remote camps after being driven from their communities, Amnesty International has warned in a scathing new report.
The report, Branded for Life, accuses the Ghanaian government of failing to protect the human rights of these women, most of whom are elderly and have been subjected to violence and threats. Many now survive in makeshift shelters with little access to food, healthcare or income.
Amnesty researchers interviewed 93 people in four camps in northern Ghana, 82 of them women aged between 50 and 90. During visits to the camps in November 2023 and April 2024, the team found more than 500 people living in dire conditions.
‘We first heard about the issue in July 2020, when a woman was lynched and part of the lynching was caught on camera and created outrage nationwide,’ Michèle Eken, Amnesty’s senior researcher for West Africa, told RFI.
Accusations fuelled by gender and poverty
Accusations of witchcraft often begin in families or communities after a death or illness. In many cases, women are targeted based on nothing more than dreams or suspicions. Those most at risk tend to be elderly, poor, widowed, or women who defy traditional gender norms.
One woman in the Gnani camp told Amnesty she was accused after her neighbour dreamt she was trying to kill him. Another said she was targeted after rejecting a marriage proposal involving her daughters and a local chief.
‘They always have plans of putting allegations against you, especially if you are hardworking and still strong as a woman,’ said a 60-year-old resident of the Kukuo camp.
The camps — some of which have existed for over a century — are managed by traditional religious leaders and offer the only refuge for women escaping mob violence. But the conditions are harsh. One elderly woman said her roof leaked whenever it rained, while another said she depended entirely on others to eat.
Legal protections still lacking
Although a law criminalising witchcraft-related attacks was passed by parliament, Amnesty says it was never enacted, leaving victims vulnerable to continued abuse and neglect.
‘The government provides a cash transfer programme, but not everyone in the camps is registered,’ the report stated. ‘For those who are, payments are not always made on time and are insufficient to meet even basic needs.’
Marceau Sivieude, Amnesty International’s interim regional director for West and Central Africa, said the state has a duty to support the women living in the camps.
‘Because people in the camps are unable to provide for themselves, the authorities have a duty to protect and support them. But they have so far failed to do so,’ he said.
Call for urgent action
Amnesty is now urging the Ghanaian government to implement a national awareness campaign to combat harmful cultural practices and stereotypes targeting women and older people. The organisation also called for legislation to be formally enacted to criminalise witchcraft accusations and related violence.
The NGO emphasised that while freedom of religion must be respected, it should never justify human rights abuses.
