Amnesty International(AI), an international non-governmental organisation, has called on the government to begin the gradual closure of witch camps and to support the reintegration of the affected women back into their communities or into alternative environments where they will feel safe.

The Country Director of the organisation, Genevieve Partington, who spoke at the launch of a research report on witchcraft accusations in Ghana, said the camps were not places of refuge but rather a symbol of societal neglect.

“Reintegration must be accompanied by support systems, including housing, health care, and economic empowerment programmes,” she said.

She explained that reintegration must be preceded by reconciliation, adding that ”there must be a comprehensive roadmap by the government, led by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, to educate community members and the youth, especially on the dangers of accusing vulnerable women and using other means other than violence to settle disputes”.

Ms Partington also called on Parliament to prioritise the passage of the Witchcraft Accusations Bill, which was reintroduced as a private member’s bill in February, saying it would criminalise witchcraft accusations and related abuses. 

Report

The report, conducted between July 2023 and January 2025, was on the theme: ”Branded for Life: How Witchcraft Accusations Lead to Human Rights Violations of Hundreds of Women in Northern Ghana”.

It was to gather information about domestic violence and witchcraft accusations, assess the structures established to address the issue across the country and deepen research on witchcraft accusations and their impact on the lives of those accused.

A total of 93 people accused of witchcraft, 82 of them women and the other 11 men, were interviewed across four camps at Kpatinga, Gambaga, Kukuo, and Gnani.

Long term

Ms Partington urged the government to implement a long-term, coordinated national awareness campaign to challenge cultural and social practices that discriminate against women and older people, including witchcraft accusations.

She said the government must invest and allocate sufficient resources for this effort.

“We urge the government to move beyond rhetoric and take meaningful steps to end this injustice,” she added.

Ms Partington stressed that police, social workers, and judicial officers must be equipped and trained to handle these cases with urgency and sensitivity.

Findings

Presenting the reports, the Senior Researcher at AI, West and Central Africa Regional Office, Michele Eken, said the women were not protected as they were branded for life and left to suffer in silence and poverty.

According to the report, she said accusations of witchcraft typically begin within the family and rapidly spread into the community, often triggered by the death of a loved one, or illness, but were also sparked by dreams or jealousy.

Ms Eken said though men could also be targeted, most victims were older women, unmarried women, widows, or women who were successful or who did not conform to traditional gender roles.

The government’s Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme is supposed to offer relief, she said but many women in the camps were not registered.

She said not all camp residents were enrolled, and even those who were registered often received insufficient or delayed payments.