NCJ Number
205819
Journal
Violence Against Women Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 325-356
Editor(s)
Claire M. Renzetti
Date Published
April 2004
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This article examines femicidal violence associated with witchcraft accusations in Ghana, West Africa with an analysis of 10 case histories of lethal victimization.
Abstract
The extensive literature available is evidence that violence against women has been the subject of numerous studies. However, absent from the literature is empirically based research regarding the phenomenon of witchcraft-related femicides in Africa and other non-Western societies. This article attempts to fill the gap in the literature by focusing on femicidal violence in relationship with witchcraft accusations in Ghana, West Africa. It contextualizes the phenomenon of witchcraft-related murders of Ghanaian women through an examination of the social, political, and economic status of Ghanaian females, as well as the values, beliefs, norms, and traditions that engender homicidal actions against women accused of witchcraft. The article begins with a brief social history of Ghana and the cultural heterogeneity of the population, a discussion on the status of women in the society and a descriptive account of witchcraft beliefs in Ghana. This is followed by an analysis of witchcraft-related homicides (10 case histories) gathered from newspaper sources. These case histories illuminate how witchcraft beliefs mediate gendercidal violence against women within the society. A greater vulnerability of poor elderly women to witchcraft accusations and lethal attacks is revealed through this case history analysis. This is consistent with evidence contained in the anthropological and historical literature. There are two arguments presented on the prevalence of women as victims of witchcraft accusations and the related violence: (1) women’s greater vulnerability to witch accusations and femicide is a manifestation of male dominance and female subordination and (2) the suggestions that accusations of witchcraft represent a form of scapegoating. Both perspectives are supported in the Ghanaian context. This suggests the intricacy and immensity of witch beliefs in the Ghanaian psyche, ensuring that curbing violence against women accused or suspected of witchcraft cannot be accomplished through legislation only. A multipronged approached that would involve education and economic improvement is recommended. Future research should focus on the entire spectrum of treatment, including nonlethal violence. References