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Witchcraft accusations still affect women in Northern Ghana

Credit: Amnesty International
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Milan, Italy
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The witch hunt might sound like a passage from history that feminists are still bringing up or a fictional topic for literature. Yet, it is the reality that still harms the women in Ghana.

Amnesty International shared a 65-page report about human rights violations that occurred in Northern Ghana between July 2023 and January 2025 related to witchcraft accusations.

Dzodzi Tsikata, Professor of Development Studies, told Amnesty that as long as people believe in good and evil, there will be witchcraft accusations as the explanation for all kinds of misfortunes and good fortune.

He highlighted that belief is not a problem in itself; it’s how it is used to attack people with particular profiles.

As it is a belief system beyond religion, the accusations might affect every Ghanaian man and woman. Yet, Amnesty found out that especially women in vulnerable situations – such as older women, widows, and women with mental or physical disabilities, who are often seen as a ‘financial burden’ – are at the most risk.

For example, Tasha, a woman accused of witchcraft by her last-born son, told Amnesty that her son sold their house without her permission while she was in the camp.

The executive director of The Sanneh Institute, a community dedicated to resourcing religious leaders and scholars in Africa, believes that witchcraft accusations are used mainly by men to control women.

Amnesty reveals that Ghanaian women are not only afraid to grow old in their communities but are also scared of providing their opinions or challenging any norms, as they might be accused of.

Unfortunately, investigations indicate that the concept of ‘dreams’ may even contribute to labeling, which might cause gender-based violence. Since the Ghanaian government does not maintain records and many crimes go unreported, we do not have comprehensive statistics.

However, we know that the incident in July 2020 was a significant warning for the country. A video surfaced showing a 90-year-old woman being lynched by her community after being accused of witchcraft.

This tragic event led NGOs to push the government to take an action. They managed to close down two out of six camps. Parliament also passed the bill that criminalizing accusations, but the president refused to sign it into law.

As the belief in witchcraft is protected under the freedom of thought, the human rights violations that come within should be the primary target for a solution.

Yamina Alassane, the resident of a camp, told Amnesty that accusers should be sanctioned, and the government should check the well-being in the camps.

As many women are afraid to go back to their community after being labeled, they decide to stay in the camps for their safety. Yet, access to clean water and food is very limited in these camps.

Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan and Italian-Rwandan filmmaker Marilena Delli Umuhoza have created a 6-hour album titled ‘Witch Camp (Ghana)’ to share the stories of women in the camps through their voices. The song titles, like ‘I Trusted My Family, They Betrayed Me’ and ‘Abandoned,’ display their thoughts and feelings.

Amnesty International invites us all to sign a petition urging the President of Ghana to pass the Anti-Witchcraft Bill into law.

Remote Writer Milan, Italy

Eylül (she/her) is a writer who lives between Milan and İstanbul. After studying Media and Visual Arts at Koç University and completing an internship at Thomson Reuters, she began pursuing a career in journalism. Since university, Eylül has been actively writing for various magazines on intersectional environmentalist feminism.

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