making it illegal to accuse a child of being a witch.
But just because a law is being passed does
not mean that people will follow the law. But the
government in our state (Akwa Ibom) is trying hard to
stop the belief in witchcraft through advocacy and we
work closely with the government.
Kate Monahan: Have you faced any personal threats
or harm while tackling this issue?
Anja Ringgren Lovén: When we go out on rescue
mission we always face a lot of danger and threats
from the local communities. Most of them are
friendly but when it comes to the issue of the belief
in witchcraft, they will become very hostile. They
don’t want an international organization to come and
interfere with their “problems.” Most of them don’t
even want us to rescue the children who has run
away from abuse and torture. They want to “handle” it
themselves. So, we face a lot of danger.
Kate Monahan: What would you like to see happen
moving forward in your service work and charity?
Anja Ringgren Lovén: We work to ensure that all
children in Akwa Ibom are free of any kind of abuse
due to superstition. Right now, we are building a new
and very big children’s home in collaboration with
Engineers Witho ]