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Rescuers save an abandoned Nigerian boy left on the streets for being a witch

19 Feb, 2016
Rescuers save an abandoned Nigerian boy left on the streets for being a witch

Belief in witchcraft is held across the world. In Nigeria, children are labeled witches to explain thier family’s misfortune.

Anja Ringgren Lovén first heard about it. As the founder of African Children’s Aid Education and Development Foundation, the Danish aid worker was no stranger to heartbreaking stories of children in the area.

“But when we heard that the child was only 2 to 3 years old, we did not hesitate,” she told reporters. “A child that young cannot survive a long time alone on the streets. We immediately prepared a rescue mission.”

Story5_image1

Photo courtesy: Anja Ringgren Lovén

She and her team looked for the boy, and found him on the streets weak, dirty, and bone-thin. He also had worms.

Anja gave the starving boy a sip of water, wrapped his naked body in a blanket, and took him in, naming him Hope.

READ: Abandoned boy without limbs finds a happy home!

The two-year-old boy had been abandoned by his parents because he was accused of being a witch. Belief in witchcraft is held across the world. In Nigeria, children are labeled witches to explain their family’s misfortune.

They face abuse and most of them run away or are abandoned.

“Many social and economic pressures, including conflict, poverty, urbanization and the weakening of communities, or HIV/AIDS, seem to have contributed to the recent increase in witchcraft accusations against children,” UNICEF Regional Child Protection Adviser Joachim Theis said.

Malnourished and abandoned boy survived on breastmilk of pregnant dog READ: Malnourished and abandoned boy survived on breastmilk of pregnant dog

“Child witchcraft accusations are part of a rising tide of child abuse, violence and neglect, and they are manifestations of deeper social problems affecting society.”

Days after the boy’s rescue, Anja took to Facebook, saying Hope was doing better, and that he was now stable.

He was also receiving a daily blood transfusion to improve his red blood cell count, but he was still suffering from worms that were “giving him some pain.”

Rescuers save a Nigerian boy accused of being a witch

Photo courtesy: Anja Ringgren Lovén

With the help of thousands of people and their donations, Anja was able to get a doctor to help Hope in recovering.

But the battle is not won. Thousands of children are being accused of being witches, and not all of them will be saved from the harsh treatment of the world around them. The best we could do is raise awareness to issues like this.

If you have any insights, questions or comments regarding the topic, please share them in our Comment box below. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Google+ to stay up-to-date on the latest from theAsianparent.com Philippines!

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