SSNCEF in conjunction with the Young Humanistas Network (YHN) organized a Pastors’ Parley in Oron on 26th May 2010. The Pastors Parley was organized to commemorate the Children’s Day celebration of 27th May 2010. A total of 70 pastors attended the meeting including representatives from the Catholic, Protestant and Pentecostal churches. Key resolutions at the parley were:
- That the belief in witchcraft is real and deeply rooted in the African Tradition
- That children have been recently involved in witchcraft possessions and allegations, a trend which never really existed in times past
- That witchcraft deliverance is real and is spiritual
- That there are no empirically confirmed means of identifying witches, neither is there any in the Bible.
- That witchcraft belief have been grossly over blown as most of the children alleged witches are not really witches
- That witchcraft beliefs in Oron is greatly fueled by the encroachment of traditional beliefs into the church and a high level of superstition
- That the church can help reduce the rate of witchcraft allegations and related abuses by staying focused on the word of God, by preaching Wisdom, Love and Truth rather that preach revelations and visions
- That pastors and other men of God must apply wisdom in dealing with persons suspected or alleged witches and seek to build homes rather than destroy them
- That N.G.Os concerned with child witchcraft accusations must explore ways of working hand in hand with religious leaders to stop the trend from affecting a wider population
- SSNCEF’s Position on the Role of the Church
SSNCEF recognizes that the vast majority of churches repudiates the abuse of children in any shape or form and, as an organization, does not wish to denounce any particular church. As a secular, humanitarian child rights organization we seek to engage in constructive dialogue with the Christian community wherever possible. However, it is our belief that the Church and wider Christian community has a moral responsibility to acknowledge the role of certain churches in preaching about the belief in child ‘witches’ and to work with all stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the gross violations of child rights that often take place due to this belief. It is the duty of all churches to ensure that children are protected from harm and that their teachings do not lead to the abuse of children. Stepping Stones Nigeria believes that the act of openly stigmatizing a child as a witch constitutes the emotional and psychological abuse of the child and, as such, can have no place in a modern, caring, truly Christian church. In order to prevent such acts from taking place churches need to have appropriate arrangements in place for safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All pastors, apostles, elders and other clergy members should have received adequate theological training from a recognized and respected source and should be made to sign a document outlining their commitment to child protection. Larger networks such as Christian Associations and Pentecostal Fellowships are morally bound to ensure that their members do not promote beliefs that lead to the abuse of children and, as such, should regulate the activities of member churches to ensure that child protection is placed as a primary concern.
