We've seen the troubling issue of violence against children accused of witchcraft back in the headlines this week, as the UK Government launches an action plan to tackle it.
Charities like ours see every day how the stigma of such accusations, made in one short moment, can devastate a child's life forever.
Such beliefs - that children can be 'possessed' - have essentially been imported to the UK from places where witchcraft is seen as part of everyday life. Horrific and violent exorcisms have been reported across the UK - such as the murder of Kristy Bamu, tortured and killed at a flat in east London in Christmas 2010 after his sister's boyfriend accused him of witchcraft.
And it's an issue that our staff encounter all too frequently.
Let's take the Democratic Republic of Congo - a country two-thirds the size of western Europe spanning the equator in central Africa. Just outside the capital, Kinshasa, our staff are caring for a 13-year-old girl, Pauline, who was accused of being a witch by her own grandmother.
A neighbour speaks of seeing the grandmother trying to bury Pauline alive in the front garden. She was then imprisoned in the house and tortured. If she hadn't been rescued by neighbours who discovered her plight, doctors believe she would have starved to death. She's now going to school and trying to lead a normal life, but physical and emotional scars remain.
Sadly, Pauline is one of many children who are subjected to intolerable suffering as a result of witchcraft accusations.
When beliefs cross the line and result in the abuse of children, we must act. The UK Government, in partnership with others, is doing so here. But what about countries like DR Congo, where scores of children are accused, then abused and driven out of the security of their own homes to live on the streets?
World Vision and others have successfully campaigned for laws to be changed in DR Congo to offer more protection for children. And we've seen the first prosecutions, including a man arrested for trying to hang a boy from a tree who he believed was possessed. The boy survived and gave evidence in court; the perpetrator was convicted and is now in prison.
But challenges persist because those laws need to be consistently enforced and people, including children, need to know that they exist.
We must also stand up to 'rogue pastors' who are known to charge families hefty fees for exorcisms, reinforcing suspicions of witchcraft and plunging families further into poverty.
When beliefs lead to violence, the end result is child abuse - plain and simple. Everyone, from governments, teachers, members of the public and NGOs, must play their part in ensuring children are shielded from it.
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Much so called 'bewitching' or 'possession' is a manifestation of mental illness or just unusual behaviour; we don't need to look too far into our own past to see equally horrific treatment of such people, sanctioned by government and overseen by the medical profession.
As usual education is the answer. Looking down on a culture that does what we used to do in the not too distant past is not only hypocritical, but counter productive as well.
We have thousands of people who would like to burn scientists at the stake for believing in evolution. These religious wingnuts believe the earth was created 6000 years or so ago. We have people building replicas (kinda-sorta) to "prove" that there was really an Ark and a world-covering flood. These religious people intrude into the realms of politics to take away peoples' rights. They are trying to outlaw abortion, even in cases of rape! They are trying to take away the right to vote from many. They are trying to force the teaching of their "faith" on other people, including the pent-up hatred they have toward everyone for not actually being able to rule over other peoples' lives.
"The Family" -- a religious group in the US with secret ties to dozens of lawmakers -- has worked in Uganda to make being LGBT an offense worthy of lengthy imprisonment or even death.
Pastors of churches in Africa have accused children of being witches and set the whole congregation out to kill them. Nothing like creating a fake "enemy" to keep people loyal!
Religion has a tendency to give a feeling of divine justification to the worst prejudices and hatreds and the horrific deeds those inspire.
Still, as the accused may actually be able to practice witchcraft . . . they have to be licensed and taxed just like everyone else.
(If they get paid a hen, then they'll owe the government a dozen eggs.)
And anyone can practice witchcraft.