San Francisco Chronicle - July 9, 2006
Paul Willis, Chronicle Foreign Service

"I have never seen it happen, so how can I know it is true?" asked the 13-year-old Congolese girl, sitting on the hard concrete floor of a children's home, nervously hugging her arms.

Nevertheless, Jocelyn is a "child-witch" -- or so her family claims.

"It started when my little brother got sick. No one knew what was wrong with him, but my stepfather said I was behind it," said Jocelyn, who looked in the soft light exactly like what she is -- a frightened child. "They took the boy to a church sect, and after examining him, the pastor stood up and announced to everyone that I had put a curse on him. After that, they began to blame me for everything."

Jocelyn's story is all too common in this war-torn central African country, where children are the victims of acute social deprivation, traditional extended families have been destroyed by decades of conflict, and belief in black magic remains deeply rooted.

Human rights groups say the growing phenomenon of so-called child-witches is fueled by the fallout from Congo's brutal civil war, which has killed 4 million combatants and civilians, making it the world's most lethal conflict since World War II. Though the war officially ended three years ago, fighting between militias and army troops continues in many parts of eastern Congo.

"This problem is unique to the Congo because of the terrible suffering brought on by the war," said Roger Katembwe-Buiki of Association Africaine de Defense des Droits de l'Homme, an African human rights group. "We have never known poverty like this, and people need to find someone to blame for what is happening to them. Children remain the easiest targets because they cannot fight back."

Reliable figures are hard to come by, but the international charity Save the Children estimates that there are more than 20,000 children in Kinshasa alone who have been accused of being witches, including both boys and girls ranging from toddlers to teenagers. A handful of centers have opened across Kinshasa to shelter some of the accused and abandoned children. Most of them, however, end up on the streets.

Frequently, the accused children are AIDS orphans who have been blamed for causing their parents' deaths. Although about 1.1 million Congolese -- 4.5 percent of the nation's population -- are HIV-positive, many adults remain unaware of the causes and effects of the disease.

"We are fighting two problems here: poverty and ignorance," Katembwe-Buiki said.

Children accused of witchcraft often undergo humiliating and painful public "exorcisms" presided over by self-appointed pastors. The more abusive ceremonies involve forced vomiting, sleep deprivation and cuts with razors to drive out the "evil spirits."

Drawing on a combination of Christian and traditional African beliefs, exorcisms are hugely popular, and congregations gather daily at hundreds of churches across the capital to witness them. Adult exorcisms are regularly screened on one of the many religious TV channels that dominate the airwaves.

"The irony is that many of these pastors were witch doctors who have embraced Christianity because the tribal beliefs are now seen as primitive," said Willy Kabwe, editor of the leading Congolese daily, Le Potentiel. "They retain the same beliefs but do it under the guise of Christianity."

Years of pressure from human rights groups have finally prompted the Congolese authorities to take a look at the activities of the TV exorcists. One channel was shut down recently after its leader incited his followers to violence during a public rally.

But, according to Katembwe-Buiki, child exorcisms remain almost completely unchecked.

For Jocelyn, the first accusations came from her stepfather, after drinking binges during which she was beaten and whipped with an electric cord for supposedly bringing illness and misfortune on the family.

After she was accused of being a witch, Jocelyn was thrown out of her home two years ago, eventually finding her way to Maison d'Hebergement des Enfants en Difficulte, a children's center located less than 20 miles outside of Kinshasa. There she lives among more than a hundred accused child-witches. A small but dedicated staff of volunteers struggles to feed and clothe the youngsters on a minuscule budget, the money coming from some churches and private donations.

"They eat beans and rice every day -- that is all we can afford to give them," said Mbwemba Mawete, a trained nurse and the only medical professional on the staff. "Their health is not good; some of the younger ones have malnutrition. But at least they are safe."

Jeff Mobinda, 13, came to Kinshasa with his father after escaping the fighting in eastern Congo. But when his father -- now an army officer -- remarried four years ago, his new stepmother refused to look after Jeff, threatened to poison him and accused him of witchcraft. With no other family in Kinshasa, the boy was brought to the center by his father.

"My stepmother didn't want to bother with me," Jeff said. "I don't hate for her what she did. It is not for me to punish her -- that is for God to decide."

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