Manhandling Accused Witch Research Paper

2.5.4 Consequences of Manhandling Accused Witches
There was a shocking headline in the widely-read newspaper, Daily Graphic on the 26th of November, 2010. The headline read “Grandma set ablaze to exorcise witchcraft.” It was about an old woman who suffered one of the most mutilating and barbaric of deaths when she was set ablaze and burnt alive by a mob after being accused of witchcraft (Duodu, 2010). There are many negative outcomes that old women are held responsible. For instance, if a marriage falls apart, it could be due to either insecurity or hardship, but the old woman in the house is found to be the cause (Duodu, 2010). If a vehicle driver gets drunk and drives resulting in an accident, an old lady is accused of shining a flashlight into his eyes sending the driver to meet his death. Even trivial outcomes such as the failing of an examination, failure of
Once they are sent out as outcasts, they tend to lose their families and they are expelled to live the rest of their days in ‘witch camps'. Over hundreds of women in the Northern region of Ghana are spotted and accused of witchcraft and have been subjected to an experience of extreme violence, trauma, discomfort, and isolation (Mcqueeney, 2012). Many of these accused witches have been chased out of their communities by myriad of angry and violent mobs. Often, young relatives are affected when especially, they escort and live with the accused victims in the same unpleasant conditions forced with discrimination (Mcqueeney, 2012). The Gambaga witch camp came into existence for over 100 years ago and it is made up of mainly mud huts (Mcqueeney, 2012). The inhabitants comprising dominantly the accused victims, have to walk miles and miles to locate water and food. Their health facilities and services are limited thus compromising their health (Mcqueeney,