Churches and government act on child abuse
-13/07/05
African church leaders from London and other parts of the country will meet with UK government representatives and child protection experts next week to discuss a cooperative response to recent concerns about violent exorcisms.
The move has been announced by the childrenís minister, Beverley Hughes, who also indicated that there may be tighter entry restrictions affecting itinerant ëfaith healersí coming to Britain to encourage such prcatices.
The meeting follows the recent dramatic case of Sita Kisanga and her brother Sebastian Pinto, both practicing Christians, who have been convicted and sentenced for aiding and abetting the serious abuse of an eight-year-old child they believed to be demonically possessed.
An aunt was also found guilty of child cruelty. All three have been jailed after what the judge involved called ìa campaign of tortureî.
The case was followed by calls from the Labour MP Diane Abbott for the registration of churches, and by lurid tabloid newspaper speculation about witchcraft and child sacrifice in African communities ñ reports condemned by informed commentators as irresponsible and racially motivated.
However experts do agree that there are serious cases of religiously aggravated abuse, and they are keen to work with leaders from the communities affected to ensure that the problem is tackled firmly and promptly.
When the case first broke, Ekklesia, the UK Christian think tank, advised against knee-jerk reactions and said that the black churches should be involved directly in consultations about action.
This is the approach the government is taking, though it is also making it quite clear that there will be no tolerance of child abuse in religious or other communities.
However, there is also a determination to avoid a repeat of the satanic abuse scares of the early 1990s, when significant numbers of children were taken from their parents in dawn raids, and some of the evidence used was later found to be exaggerated or flawed.
A key adviser on these issues is Dr Richard Hoskins, visiting senior research fellow in theology and religious studies at Kingís College in the University of London. He is helping the authorities to identify cases of the mistreatment of children involving religious groups.
But Dr Hoskins has also emphasised that such cases should not be taken as a reason to castigate and misrepresent African churches and African religion as a whole.
Dr Hoskins says that poverty, war and disease in central Africa are driving desperate people towards fringe and illicit spiritual practices. But he added: ìI teach African religious traditions and it has never been part of their practices to abuse children.î
African church leaders in the UK and beyond have condemned these abuses and pledged to stamp them out.
Churches and government act on child abuse
-13/07/05
African church leaders from London and other parts of the country will meet with UK government representatives and child protection experts next week to discuss a cooperative response to recent concerns about violent exorcisms.
The move has been announced by the children’s minister, Beverley Hughes, who also indicated that there may be tighter entry restrictions affecting itinerant ëfaith healers’ coming to Britain to encourage such prcatices.
The meeting follows the recent dramatic case of Sita Kisanga and her brother Sebastian Pinto, both practicing Christians, who have been convicted and sentenced for aiding and abetting the serious abuse of an eight-year-old child they believed to be demonically possessed.
An aunt was also found guilty of child cruelty. All three have been jailed after what the judge involved called ‘a campaign of torture’.
The case was followed by calls from the Labour MP Diane Abbott for the registration of churches, and by lurid tabloid newspaper speculation about witchcraft and child sacrifice in African communities – reports condemned by informed commentators as irresponsible and racially motivated.
However experts do agree that there are serious cases of religiously aggravated abuse, and they are keen to work with leaders from the communities affected to ensure that the problem is tackled firmly and promptly.
When the case first broke, Ekklesia, the UK Christian think tank, advised against knee-jerk reactions and said that the black churches should be involved directly in consultations about action.
This is the approach the government is taking, though it is also making it quite clear that there will be no tolerance of child abuse in religious or other communities.
However, there is also a determination to avoid a repeat of the satanic abuse scares of the early 1990s, when significant numbers of children were taken from their parents in dawn raids, and some of the evidence used was later found to be exaggerated or flawed.
A key adviser on these issues is Dr Richard Hoskins, visiting senior research fellow in theology and religious studies at King’s College in the University of London. He is helping the authorities to identify cases of the mistreatment of children involving religious groups.
But Dr Hoskins has also emphasised that such cases should not be taken as a reason to castigate and misrepresent African churches and African religion as a whole.
Dr Hoskins says that poverty, war and disease in central Africa are driving desperate people towards fringe and illicit spiritual practices. But he added: ‘I teach African religious traditions and it has never been part of their practices to abuse children.’
African church leaders in the UK and beyond have condemned these abuses and pledged to stamp them out.