The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), has asked the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to work towards closing down all camps harboring alleged witches in the country in the next two years.
According to Hillary Gbedemah, a member of the committee, CEDAW believes the existence of witch camps constitutes human rights violation and must be stopped entirely.
She noted that “the committee was focused on the issue of violence and they were not too happy with the way matters of violence had been left behind” in response to the attitudes towards violence against alleged witches.
“We are expected to close all our remaining witch camps and not only close but provide the alleged witches with rehabilitation, re-integration into the communities, alternative housing and livelihood options. There are also some recommendations on what should be done for their children.”
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection last year disbanded a number of witch camps in the Northern Region and are expected to close all existing witch camps by 2017.
