Events

International Conference: ‘Witchcraft and Human Rights: Past, Present, Future’

 

The ‘Witchcraft and Human Rights: Past, Present, Future’ conference, hosted at Lancaster University from 10-11 January 2019 brought together academics and activists with the aim of stimulating debate on the issue of witchcraft and human rights.

The conference was organised by Ikponwosa Ero (UN Independent Expert on Albinism), Dr Miranda Forsyth (Australian National University), Gary Foxcroft (Director, Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network), Dr Lisa Oakley (University of Chester; Chair of the National Working Group for Child Abuse linked to Faith and Belief), Dr Sam Spence (University of Bolton) and Dr Charlotte Baker (Lancaster University). It was sponsored by Lancaster University, the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network, the University of Bolton, Under the Same Sun, Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development, and The Australian National University.

This international conference formed a core component of wider work being carried out by UN bodies, academics and activists highlighting the scale of human rights abuses involving harmful practices related to certain beliefs in witchcraft. It contributed to ongoing work towards mainstreaming this issue into the UN system and to ultimately put a stop to these harmful practices. It also provided impetus and practical guidance to numerous international, regional and national mechanisms, academics and civil society actors working to raise awareness and understanding of these challenging issues.

The main points this conference highlighted through the presented papers and the debates that followed were the universality of the issue of witchcraft-related abuses, and the need for a proper body of legislation and applied expertise to help combat its related harmful practices. The abuse related to witchcraft and belief that was tackled in the span of two days, through multiple panels with academics and experts presenting from and about various parts of the world, highlighted how widespread the phenomenon is, and how complex. Its nuances call for careful approaches specifically designed in relation to the nature of the abuse at hand, as well as the community it seeks to address.

The conference was accompanied by a photographic exhibition ‘From Horror to Hope’: Witchcraft and Human Rights, hosted by the Peter Scott Gallery, Lancaster University. Launched at the UN Human Rights Council headquarters in Geneva in September 2018, the exhibition is now travelling between venues internationally.

I was fortunate to attend the conference and to support it as a Conference Assistant. Although I am not an expert on the issue I do, however, come from a place where beliefs related to witchcraft still prevail. I could not help but reflect on the absence of any significant measures taken to eradicate the problem, to which tens of children have been victims in the past decade alone. I hope the debate continues and gets louder. If the project is successful, its impact will be invaluable.

Abdelbaqi Ghorab, Lancaster University

 

UN Human Rights Council Expert Meeting, Geneva

 

In September 2017 the Witchcraft and Human Rights Information Network (WHRIN), the UN Independent Expert on Albinism and Lancaster University organized the first ever UN Expert Workshop on Witchcraft and Human Rights at the UN Human Rights Council. The workshop brought together UN Experts, members of civil society and academics to discuss the violence associated with such beliefs and practices, and groups that are particularly vulnerable.

The workshop highlighted the various manifestations of witchcraft-related beliefs and practices, including accusations, stigma, and ritual killings, identifying good practice in combatting them. It marked an important step towards mainstreaming the issue into the UN Human Rights system, whilst providing impetus and practical guidance to the numerous international and regional mechanisms, academics and civil society actors that have been working to raise awareness and understanding of these challenging issues.

Read more about the UN Human Rights Council Meeting.

 

The First International Workshop on Oculocutaneous Albinism in Sub-Saharan Africa

 

An estimated 120 people participated in the First International Workshop on Oculocutaneous Albinism in Sub-Saharan Africa, which took place in Douala, Cameroon, from 24-25 July 2015. The conference was brought together a range of stakeholders into productive exchange. The event was co-funded by a Wellcome Trust International Small Grant, the Ministry of Higher Education in Cameroon, the local government of Douala, Lancaster University, Les Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and the European Society for Pigment Cell Research. Read more…