Train teachers to spot signs of witchcraft

 
Anna Davis @_annadavis14 August 2012

Teachers in London should be trained to recognise signs that children are being abused in the name of witchcraft, experts said today.

A Department for Education report said many cases of child abuse in the name of faith, spirit possession and the supernatural went unreported because of ignorance.

The national action plan was drawn up with the help of faith leaders, charities and the Metropolitan Police. Children’s Minister Tim Loughton said: “There has been very gradual progress in understanding the issues — either because community leaders have been reluctant to challenge beliefs which risk leading to real abuse, or because authorities misunderstand the causes or are cowed by political correctness.”

In the last 10 years, police in London have investigated 86 allegations of child abuse where faith is a factor, with six reported so far this year.

Detective Superintendent Terry Sharpe, who led the investigation into the 2010 murder of Kristy Bamu, 15, who was tortured by his sister and her boyfriend because they thought he was a witch, said: “The cases we hear about are extremes where someone has died, but there are many others where abuse is taking place — such as rubbing chilli in a child’s eyes or worse.”

He said that if teachers knew what to look out for — such as noticing if a pupil referred to a “cage” or “deliverance” — they were likely to take action.

He said: “Teachers play a very big role, they are the first port of call when the child has confidence to report it. They will see the changes in the child’s behaviour and may challenge that.”

Andrew Flanagan, the NSPCC’s chief executive, said: “The vast majority of people in communities where witchcraft is practised are horrified by these acts and take no part in this atrocious behaviour. We must not be afraid to raise this issue so the offenders can be exposed.”

Victoria Climbié, eight, died after being tortured in Hackney in 2000. Experts later linked the case to a belief in spirit possession.

In 2001, the torso of five or six-year-old “Adam” was found in the Thames and police believed his death was a ritualistic killing.

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