Witchcraft and Human Rights

In light of our recent discussion question about present-day "witch trials" . . . .

"The workshop is ground-breaking as it is the first-ever to discuss witchcraft and human rights in a systematic and in-depth manner at the UN or international level. It will bring together UN Experts, academics and members of civil society to discuss the violence associated with such beliefs and practices and groups that are particularly vulnerable. It will highlight the various manifestations of witchcraft beliefs and practices, including accusations, stigma and ritual killings, before looking to identify good practices in combatting the phenomena. The meeting will also be an opportunity to discuss whether current legislative frameworks are sufficient to meet State legal duty to prevent, punish, investigate and provide remedies for harm caused by beliefs in witchcraft." (Continued here, with links on the page's sidebar for report documents. Also, if you're interested, see this focused BBC article on child victims. Finally, we should guard against the conclusion that this kind of religious violence is an "African problem." Exorcisms in American pentecostal, evangelical, and catholic traditions are well-established. This article says they're on the rise.)