'Witchcraft' abuse cases on the rise - BBC News

Child abuse linked to exorcism and witchcraft accusations is on the rise, figures obtained by the BBC suggest. 

The Metropolitan Police said there had been 60 crimes linked to faith in London so far this year. It saw reports double from 23 in 2013 to 46 in 2014.

Half of UK police forces do not record such cases and many local authorities are also unable to provide figures.
The NSPCC said authorities "need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of this particular brand of abuse".
London is unique in having a police team, Project Violet, dedicated to this type of abuse.

Its figures relate to crime reports where officers have flagged a case as involving abuse linked to faith or belief. Many of the cases involve children.
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Debbie Ariyo, founder of Africans Unite Against Child Abuse, said accusations were often made when families experienced problems: "Children are blamed - especially stepchildren."

She added that within churches there was often a financial motivation behind accusations.

"The pastor says there's a witch in this church today; looks around and points to a child.

"That means public humiliation for the family. The next step is exorcism which is not done for free. It's a money-making scam."

'Witchcraft' abuse cases on the rise - BBC News

The Freethinker - The voice of atheism since 1881 » Witchcraft crime on the rise in the UK

A BBC investigation into faith-based crime, broadcast yesterday on Radio 5, claimed that a special Metropolitan Police team – Operation Violet – has seen a significant increase in reports of crimes related to witchcraft in London.

But other areas don’t have such specialist expertise and half of police forces in the UK are failing to record cases. Campaigners say children remain at risk in the absence of a coordinated national response to the problem.

The BBC reported here that the Metropolitan Police said there had been 60 crimes linked to faith in London so far this year. It saw reports double from 23 in 2013 to 46 in 2014.

The NSPCC said authorities:

Need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of this particular brand of abuse.

Terry Sharpe, from the Project Violet team, said cases remained small in number, but there had been a significant increase, covering a spectrum of seriousness.

The Freethinker - The voice of atheism since 1881 » Witchcraft crime on the rise in the UK