The committee was constituted and sponsored by Action Aid Ghana to oversee the reintegration of the alleged witches.

[contextly_sidebar id=”2EzQqlkLbJLtCtKy5Hjp1i07K5x5SrtF”]But the Committee’s Chairman, Dr. Alhaji AlHussein Zakaria, at a news conference in Tamale revealed that the task is extremely difficult.

According to him, the deeply rooted belief in witchcraft in the Northern Region is causing public resistance to the reintegration process.

He also cited funding constraints associated with the implementation of the reintegration process fashioned out by Action Aid Ghana and its development partners.

Dr. Alhaji AlHussein chided the mass media to stop exaggerating the population of the alleged witches camped at five isolated locations in the Northern Region.

Setting the records straight, he said the most popular Gambaga camp has 72 inmates, Ngani 182, Kpatinga 41, Nabuli 33 and KUKUO 86.

He appealed to government, the donor community and development partners to provide them with clean drinking water, food, electricity, medical care, lavatories, economic livelihoods and other social amenities needed to improve their welfare.

Despite the numerous challenges, he reaffirmed the Committee’s steadfastness to promote the reintegration of 45% alleged witches and wizards at the various camps by 2021.

Dr. alhaji AlHussein Zakaria added that the Committee is determined to advocate the protection of their rights as well as training the youth to serve as change Ambassadors against the discrimination and stigmatization of the ostracized men and women.

He said the Committee will strengthen its collaboration with the mass media to deepen awareness creation on the deplorable conditions of the alleged witches and wizards.

He expressed the Committee’s determination to strengthen dialogues with religious and traditional rulers to enact local legal framework needed to properly address witchcraft allegations.

The Reintegration Committee emanated from a Regional Conference organized by Action Aid Ghana in November 2011 in Tamale on the closure of alleged witches camps.

The Committee is composed of Action Aid Ghana and its partners, Civil Society Organizations, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), traditional authorities and the Clergy.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Committee laments challenges in reintegrating alleged witches appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to them, they lack basic social amenities such as food, water, clothing and shelter.

A situation they bemoaned has made life unbearable for them and their caregivers.

The leadership of the Alleged Witches Network brought this to the fore at the climax of a two-day capacity building workshop held in Tamale.

Multi-donor fund managers, Star-Ghana supported the workshop funded by DANIDA, UKaid and the European Union and spearheaded by women and child rights advocacy civil society organization called Songtaba.

The ostracized women insisted that although their safety is guaranteed at the various camps, they are hungry.

“Even though we are safe and secured in our respective camps, life is difficult for us in terms of access to food, potable water, conducive accommodation, and clothing.

They, therefore, made a passionate appeal to government and philanthropists to alleviate their plight.

Executive Director of Songtaba, Hajia Lamnatu Adam in a Citi News interview explained the workshop’s objective saying, “the objective of the workshop is to strengthen the capacity of the leadership of the alleged Witches Network on advocacy and lobbying, public speaking, human rights and leadership.”

Hajia Lamnatu called for government’s support to strengthen the alleged witches’ reintegration.

She revealed that not all inmates of the alleged witches previously registered as beneficiaries of the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme are covered.

“Most of the alleged witches currently think that the way to go is reintegration however there are factors hindering the process. I am therefore appealing to the district assemblies to support them while pragmatic steps are adopted to completely reintegrate them.”

Hajia Lamnatu Adam chided consistent media exaggeration on the number of inmates in the camps.

“I am cautioning people working in this area to be circumspect about the figures they churn out to the media about the population of the alleged witches.”

“You’re working in the area and at times you hear people mention 1000 and in another camp 2000 when in actual fact the whole community where they are living is not even up to that figure. In as much as we want to support them we should be realistic with the figures,” she stressed.

Currently, there are five alleged witches’ camps located at some isolated communities in the Northern Region.

These comprises Gnani and Kpatinga camps in the Yendi Municipality, Kukuo in Nanumba North District, Gambaga in East Mamprusi District and Naabuli in Gushiegu District. The sixth one, Bonyase in the Central Gonja District was closed down by the state three years ago.

As women and child rights advocacy organisation headquartered at Bimbila, Songtaba has for the past decade been promoting the empowerment and reintegration of alleged witches.

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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post We’re starving – Witches camp inmates cry for help appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.