Missing kid

[minestrone]

Like I said, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over it. It's not a story I'm following TBH so let's just leave it at that.

Now where is the fun in that.

 

[eek]

Like I said, I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist over it. It's not a story I'm following TBH so let's just leave it at that.

So why on earth did you post on the story in the first place. You should know by now how much we will detect weakness and go for the poster.....

 

[xoggoth]

Believe me... there really aren't very many people in West Africa who take the old beliefs to the point of abusing and even murdering kids

Sorry but I don't believe you. It really isn't that rare at all. According to the Guardian and BBC anyway.

The dangerous fight for the 'child witches' of Nigeria | Science | theguardian.com
BBC News - Rise in African children accused of witchcraft
BBC News - Newsnight - Witch-doctors reveal extent of child sacrifice in Uganda

Also probably much under reported in the UK. One could reasonably ask why do we have to have such barbaric beliefs in our country at all. We should be checking on beliefs of migrants and excluding those whose culture is taking Britain backwards.

Accusations of witchcraft are part of growing pattern of child abuse in UK | Society | The Guardian
BBC News - Government urged to tackle 'witchcraft belief' child abuse
BBC News - Witchcraft-based child abuse: Action plan launched
Witchcraft child abuse: social services and police 'cowed by political correctness' claims minister - Telegraph
Police to be given specialist training to help child victims of 'witchcraft' beliefs - Crime - UK - The Independent

 

[Mich the Tester]

It really isn't that rare at all.

It happens, yes, but it isn't common; I don't have any reason to think it's more common than anywhere else. And two of the first three stories were not in West Africa.

 

[NickFitz]

I doubt many could deny that it had gone through their minds too.

I can

 

[xoggoth]

It happens, yes, but it isn't common; I don't have any reason to think it's more common than anywhere else. And two of the first three stories were not in West Africa.

No reason to think it's more common than anywhere else? You think they kill child witches in Belgium? Try reading some of those links. It's a major sub-Saharan problem. The 2nd link and some other also mention Nigeria if such specificity is relevant in way.

Rare is relative, in the context of very rare event like child killing or major abuse it is a not insignificant motive.

One quote:
However Unicef's Regional Child Protection officer for West and Central Africa told the BBC more than 20,000 streetchildren had been accused of witchcraft in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa.

Another:
A BBC investigation into human sacrifice in Uganda has heard first-hand accounts which suggest ritual killings of children may be more common than authorities have acknowledged. One witch-doctor led us to his secret shrine and said he had clients who regularly captured children and brought their blood and body parts to be consumed by spirits.

All those links for the UK mention fear by experts of a greatly underreported crime. There is yet another expensive Met unit (Project Violet) to deal with this and other cultural problems like FGM.

 

[Mich the Tester]

No reason to think it's more common than anywhere else? You think they kill child witches in Belgium? Try reading some of those links. It's a major sub-Saharan problem. The 2nd link and some other also mention Nigeria if such specificity is relevant in way.

Rare is relative, in the context of very rare event like child killing or major abuse it is a not insignificant motive.

One quote:
However Unicef's Regional Child Protection officer for West and Central Africa told the BBC more than 20,000 streetchildren had been accused of witchcraft in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa.

Another:
A BBC investigation into human sacrifice in Uganda has heard first-hand accounts which suggest ritual killings of children may be more common than authorities have acknowledged. One witch-doctor led us to his secret shrine and said he had clients who regularly captured children and brought their blood and body parts to be consumed by spirits.

All those links for the UK mention fear by experts of a greatly underreported crime. There is yet another expensive Met unit (Project Violet) to deal with this and other cultural problems like FGM.

Well, seeing as there have been major child abuse scandals in Ireland, the UK and other places in Europe, in many cases quite specifically related to the Catholic Church, but some related to other places like British boarding schools and care homes (where there are also fears of unreported crimes), no, I don't think that West African cultures are more prone to child abuse than European cultures. We don't call child abuse a 'European problem', even though we're finding out more and more about it. Of course, where it happens it's appalling and I'd agree that it's good to know more about people's background before admitting them as immigrants, but this idea that West African cultures are more prone to child abuse than our own is not founded in fact.

 

[stek]

This is a quality pile-on!!

 

[Mich the Tester]

This is a quality pile-on!!

I think this one's quite cool;

 

[xoggoth]

Well, seeing as there have been major child abuse scandals in Ireland, the UK and other places in Europe,

You are clearly just determined to take a PC view of the third world and ignore facts. Abuse by Catholic priests, Jimmy Saville etc are terrible but, have you ever heard of hundreds being killed in a single province in the space of five years by priests? 22 people tortured, mutilated and killed in one area in a single month?

http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/wcaro_children-accused-of-witchcraft-in-Africa.pdf

That is rather out of date incidentally. More recent links above talk of a significant rise in such violence.