Many homeless children in the Democratic Republic of Congo are living on the streets after being accused of witchcraft. Some say that more girls than boys are targeted in Bukavu. A shelter in the city provides a home for children labeled as witches.
BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of the Congo (WOMENSENEWS)--Chance Chubaka's family lives in Chimbunda, a suburb of this bustling, impoverished town on the south shores of Lake Kivu. But by the time Chance was 9 years old, she no longer shared their home.
"I found that the easiest place to live was on the street," said the poised 13-year-old.
Following the death of her father and grandfather, neighbors accused her of being a witch and causing the deaths.
Her uncle agreed. He tied her hands together with plastic bags and burned them, a common technique in the Democratic Republic of Congo to illicit confessions from children tagged as witches. The scars on Chance's hands remain.
Her uncle also burned her legs, she says, and finally kicked her out of the house.
"Every time I tried to go home, I was beaten," Chance said.
http://www.womensenews.org/story/the-world/091120/children-targeted-witches-in-the-congo
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