Humanitarian issue- Child witches and autism report

Post Reply New Topic

Hi everyone, I read some years ago about children in Nigeria who have autism being singled out in communities as being a witch or being possessed by the devil. There are other vulnerable children also who are singled out in this way as well, some may have been born physically disabled etc. This is happening in several diverse countries as well labelling children as child witches. This has happened and happening today in countries such as Angola, Uganda, The Gambia, South Africa, Sierra Leone, The Congo, Ghana, Liberia, Ethiopia and other Sub Saharan countries. This practice grew in South Africa during COVID. This also has been reported in other countries today as far wide as England which if it is experienced is treated as abuse and sometimes it can lead to safeguarding.

Has anybody experienced this?

I will say this that as a Christian and someone who is diagnosed with autism this case does move me this story. I am a Christian and God knows how to manage my autism and has done several times in my life. I was blessed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit at 17 that has equipped me to cope in life and I am under God's divine protection. Psalm 139 says that God created me for a purpose and that we are all wonderfully and fearfully made.

At 17 I served in the church ministry using my spiritual gifts. I am part of Jesus kingdom to as an autistic, we can all be members of the Body of Christ regardless of what conditions we have.

I am Christian and also a humanitarian.

Any person has the capability for the devil to tempt and use them we know from the New Testament. So, based on this I would argue that it was possible for anyone to be tempted and used by the devil and we all need to use Jesus' teachings to overcome evil. Labelling children wrongly as child witches and wizards based on solely having a condition and often a severe type is grossly wrong. There are though people in our community who are more vulnerable who may experience stigma, lies and injustice because of having a disability. We have to take them into our protective arm as Christians.

Autism is not a spiritual attack and everything God makes is good. God is it at liberty to use an autistic person for his glory as he has done with me and help us to manage our conditions by being consecrated through the Holy Spirit. I cannot deny though God’s power and authority and nobody can limit Christ. This though is not the article to uncover Chrit's miracles.The majority of us though God will leave as we are and support us to praise him with our blessings.

Remember this-we will be judged according to our conditions by God who created us and any sin post original sin for human kind will be cleansed by Christ for all of us who obey the law. We are all God’s children and are created for a divine purpose (Acts 17:28). "And he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.”

I felt moved and drawn to this topic and I did donate to Patrick School of Languages in Nigeria which is a legitimate school for those who are neurodiverse or have a learning disability and also reached and supported to CRARN which is mentioned in my article. As Christians we are asked to give charitably (Luke 12:33).

What is the situation and how can we help?

There are still stories today of children being labelled as witches who are autistic and who experience other disabilities today. In 2022 in Liberia 22 children (8 boys and 14 girls) were accused of witchcraft.

I return now to Nigeria and examine how the issue of traditional religion fused with Christianity is impacting on a very small proportion of children’s lives in the Akwa Ibom case as I cannot cover every state. Some children are branded as witches or wizards and are effectively exiled from their communities. In this particular case my brief report is on Akwa Ibom, but there are other known states in Nigeria like Cross River where this has been a problem. It is a criminal act today in Nigeria to promote child witch hunting and this was banned in 2008, but things are slow on the ground and moving slowly to improve and we need more help and support to eliminate this illegal act.

During the colonial rule traditional practises were targeted such as traditional religion and sacrificial practices but this has re-emerged in recent times.

There are false ministers who also maybe looking for financial gain in some
Pentecostal and Charismatic Christian church's also and some may use traditional practises also that call for animal sacrifice or another ritual ceremony such as the disposal of possessions or marking the child with animal blood. Some may tell family members that their loved one are witches or wizards and this can drive wedges between family members. People can pay sums of money to ministers in hope that they can remove their loved out of this supernatural realm by being used as a witch/demon agent. These children may experience numerous deliverances as well or exorcisms which are not needed which can leave them exhausted and confused an akin to a mere skeleton which may cloud their mind with fear that they have been a tool of the devil and built to be as well. This is scheming and mind games as well.

This can no doubt cause some family members to reject or abuse their loved ones and drive them away from their home. This situation can be experienced worse due to poverty and disability which can cause some people to end up blaming other people for all their so called bad luck. It is often extremly difficult to be disabled in a lower income country where support can be hard to fnd or not available. I have seen young people on skateboards and an amputee trying to find income on the streets, at 25 it was a disturbing sight to see for the first time.

A centre called CRARN and an organisation called Stepping Stones Nigeria have emerged to deal with this challenge. There are other special needs schools which have been set up to provide education and humane treatment for individuals meeting this group. The Patrick School of Languages in Nigeria is an example of one such school that has been established form the efforts of a parent whose child experienced discrimination being told they their child was a spiritual attack and they was discriminated.

The governor of Akwa Ibom state passed the Child’s Rights act so that people could be prosecuted that demonise and stigmatise a child in such a manner. This does just not happen to children but I am focusing on children in this blog post. The enactment of the Child’s Right act did not stop all cases from happening as people close ranks to make it harder for them to be made accountable to the law. There was also a case in the UK in 2006 when a child’s body was found in the River Thames. The police named this child ‘Adam’ police did believe that this murder was ritual related.

Using conflict resolution the children that are abandoned by their parents in such centres I do think that it would be beneficial if such parents were counselled in a group by a minister over a few days in faith that can point out to the flaws in their thinking. Their beliefs do need to be challenged. Returning to the community might be difficult and if there is a head of a village they should try in mediate in this situation as they are normally respected in their communities. Also if these children cannot return home from fear of attack from other members in the village I would suggest that relocating them might help to unite parent and child. Also, banning such films that may encourage this sort of abuse I do believe is also a good idea.

I hit my button again and donated today. God has said we should be involved in justice and humanitarian issues and dismantling them. This needs to be stopped.

Where to support

Child's Right and Rehabilitation Network: CRARN

https://crarn.net/

https://pslcautism-ng.org/

The scale of the problem to UN reports

https://docs.un.org/en/A/HR/52/47

https://www.unicef.org/liberia/stories/ ... ft-liberia

https://media.un.org/unifeed/en/asset/u130/u130627d

Articles and websites on this subject

https://www.thecable.ng/autism-not-the- ... aregivers/ ( This article was the first one I read on this subject which moved me.

https://www.ej-theology.org/index.php/t ... e/view/107

https://www.theguardian.com/society/202 ... -witch-boy

https://www.theguardian.com/global-deve ... ism-africa

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/ ... heobserver

https://www.modernghana.com/news/546916 ... tches.html

https://globalnews.ca/news/2523883/phot ... donations/

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/lifesty ... ls-autism/


https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021 ... s-children

In Nigeria children with autism have more neurological severe with it.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25240124/
It can be downloaded here-
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... management

This is a video on Youtube of a story of someone who went through this who is reported in the Guardian article.



I was interested to read about Revd Noel experience after being diagnosed and she was diagnosed with autism. This can be another manoevre instead of talking about witches to talk them having a demon because of their autism..

"Having been diagnosed while serving her title, in 2017, she began her incumbency at St James’s, Pokesdown, last year, and became a member of the Bishop’s Council. The decision to take another post in the Church was “one of the hardest choices, because it had cost so much to walk through what I walked through”, she reflects. In recent years, she has been told that she would not have been ordained had her diagnosis been known earlier, and would have been offered prayer for release from demons"
https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/ ... urotypical

I think a lot of these services are done in private and organised on the phone or online.

I found this information about where to go for help and this is relates to the UK.

Where to go for help

I found official documentation online in the UK where this is raised the serious nature of it.
https://www.met.police.uk/advice/adv...h-based-abuse/

This article documents the recent number of cases-
https://www.local.gov.uk/publication...e-and-families

This is another article which explains about it more-
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/a...aith-or-belief

Thanks for the info about witch hunts in West Africa and their targeting of children and young people. This is something I remember reading about in some detail about 15 to 20 year ago.

I would be interested to hear more about your perspective on it, because you seem to belong to the same general branch of Christianity (Pentecostal, charismatic, and/or neo-charismatic/neo-apostolic) that has commonly been blamed for promoting beliefs that encourage the witch hunts. If you can help that branch of Christianity clean house and help it stop saying/doing the kinds of things that encourage witch hunts, that would be great.

Mona Pereth, I did International Relations in my studies and conflict resolution and this topic I to looked at around then. I went back to it last year under social justice to see how it was going on. I was still impacted as I read it all them years ago. I looked around and saw research and organisations such as CRARN and looked up the Patrick Speech school and sent them donations. I was inspired by the social justice works of Saint Thea Bowman who was an activist and African American. I looked on it again more recently and saw more recent cases in West Africa/UN/articles and also what was happening in more European countries often was still going on and being how prevelent it was and needed to raise and raise attention to it.

Me, I am a non demontional Christian-I am a follower of Christ. I belong to no division of any church and don't like to tell people usually where I attend as they need to make their own journey if interested. I was baptised in a Catholic church and went to a Catholic school from 4 to 19 and raised by quite liberal immigrant African parents. I don't disagree with any Catholicism, but like to see myself as independent. I think some people in life can move to different church's according to God's will and we can move on, I know some people who have been to like five church's. I attend an Anglican/Episcopalian church today as a non demontional and still attend my childhood Catholic school from time to time as it makes me feel safe. l want to stay that I don't think it is so important where you choose to attend as I don't think it matters as long as you are attending the right service for you if they are in line with the Holy Bible teaching of Jesus. The Holy Spirit can be found in all church's that worship in the true spirit. Did you know that some Catholic Church's are reviving in the Holy Spirit gifts worship in the US and more countries and led by priests. I think God's Holy Spirit will cease when Jesus returns as the Perfect One as the Bible says. I am now Confirmed/Recieved into the Church.

Due to family roots I have had interactions being very unwell some with life threatening anorexia and trying to be hooked up with here there and everywhere out of love to try and find the cure-but it is wrong. Some wounding things happened to me documented which I find painful to read-but God has patched them up for me and it should never have happened. I posted this in a Nigerian forum to that I was joined to years ago and not posted and may be some people may read it on there and learn something. I am a very quiet and my friend ship groups are only my church. I have tried to draw attention to some big organisations and banks to this like SADC, ECOWAS, Bank of America and other central banks around the world. I like to see some action to behind writing my words.

It's great that you are doing this. Thank you.


Yes, I am aware of the existence of Catholic Charismatics. Here is the history of Catholic Charismatic Renewal according to Wikipedia.

The Charismatic movement is a cross-denominational movement. I've known this for decades.

But the Charismatic movement does have a specific set of beliefs and practices of its own, and in that sense can be considered a distinct Christian religious movement, even though most of its adherents participate in many other, more-established branches of Christianity, rather than having their own separate organized denomination.


I'm glad to hear things have gotten better for you.

Last edited by Mona Pereth on 14 Sep 2025, 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Do you consider ‘Lady Apostle’ Helen Ukpabio to have been one of those false ministers? Or do you think she was wrongly blamed for the Nigerian witch hunts back in 2005 to 2010 or so?

Mona Pereth I read your reply above and I will look up some of those member church's in that broad spectrum and see if I can send my blog post to them via email.

I don't know really that much about that woman Helen Ukpabio and just read about her briefly a few weeks ago as I wrote my first post. What I read certainly wasn't pleasing-if she has not been in line with the New Testament teachings then that is wrong. If she has caused hurt to children and others then that is never right. I don't tend to make my opinions from online sources like Wiki. Perhaps there is a more academic source to read. I will take a poke around online myself.

Do you also believe that, under other circumstances, exorcism/deliverance can be a genuine thing? If so, what kinds of things do you consider to be signs of genuine demonic activity, that could genuinely be removed by exorcism/deliverance?

I ask because belief in demons and exorcism/deliverance is common among charismatic Christians generally.

Anyhow, it is good that you are taking a stand against exorcisms that are clearly unnecessary.

Mona Pereth i have a simple faith-most Christians will believe in evil unclean spirits as that is stated clearly in the New Testatment. I am not defined by a label or organisation. I am non demontional for a reason. I think people can BE used for evil as the Bible says and with searching and prayer some can drive them out. This is totally different than labelliing usually all or severe members of a group as being demonic ora spiritual attack which I am against. People who do have these conditions can be used as members of Christ and do not have any demons or evil spirits etc. Are you a Christian and if so do you think there is no evil.

I believe in free choice and if it is legal and lawful and not an abuse of the law and they are of consent and sound mind and in line with the New Testatment then someone could do a delievrance of simple prayer etc to do this. They need to stay within the New Testament though. Them being freeing of this depends on God in the end surely.

There are some notable Blessed, Venerable and Saints who have been doumented to have demons though till their death and have been Holy people. Illness doesn't prevent holiness. Such an example to look Blessed Padua (Lucrezia Bellini)

Not Christian myself (and perhaps should have stated this earlier in the conversation). Was raised by conservative mainstream Protestants, but gave it up at the age of 15. Am now agnostic. I've explored various religions and I've had a longstanding interest in comparative religion.

I've also had a longstanding concern about witch hunts of various kinds.

Back in the 1980's, when I first heard about the McMartin Preschool Abuse Trial, I strongly suspected, from almost the very beginning, that the accused were actually innocent. Other people I knew were worried that the trial might spark an era of increased sexual repression, but did not question the accusations themselves, as I did. My suspicions were vindicated several years later. (See also The Daycare Abuse Trials of the 1980s and the Salem Witchcraft Trials: Some Parallels on the Famous Trials website. See also EBSCO's page about the McMartin trials.)

The "Satanic Ritual Abuse" scare continued until 1995 or so. And, to this day, the "conspiracy theory" subculture continues to harbor many people who believe in a millennia-old "Satanic" conspiracy. Worse, this belief has become extremely widespread during the past two decades, even if law enforcement doesn't act on "Satanic ritual abuse" accusations nearly as often as they did back in the the 1980's.

For more about my concerns on this matter, see the thread "Satanic ritual abuse" grand conspiracy claims.

Mona Pereth thanks for explaining. I had a look at the meaning of the activism you are involved in and that kind of abuse is never good, so that is good to be involved in. I must say though I don’t agree that Satan can produce children, but think they can abuse others and work to try and flag this and halt this is good.

??? Perhaps you are misunderstanding what I wrote here?

The witch hunts I am speaking of involved false accusations of multi-victim, multi-perpetrator child sexual abuse (among other atrocities) by alleged "Satanic cults."

Thanks for clearing that up-I got that from quickly googling online about this, it makes much more sense now, thank you.