Each day tens of children go missing In Sub-Saharan Africa, "the practice of ritual killing and human sacrifice" continues to take place despite the illegality as described by the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and other human rights instruments." In the 21st century, Nigeria, Uganda, Swaziland, Liberia, Tanzania, Namibia, Zimbabwe, as well as Mozambique,and Mali,  have practices documented in the report.

It involves the detrimental practice of extracting body parts, blood or tissue from a living child, often times resulting in the death of these children, who are often kidnapped for these practices.

ISSUE

Rural districts near Kampala, Uganda's capital, have been badly affected by kidnappings of vulnerable people, children in particular, for sacrificial purposes. It is a modern phenomenon that purports to be part of the country's old custom, through the use of traditional medicine, which roughly 80% of people rely on. Villages have been left gripped by fear and bewilderment from such activities. In exposed communities, roadside posters, workshops, and alert systems have been erected to warn children and their families of the danger posed by witch doctors abducting for the purpose of child sacrifice.

MOTIVE

Witch doctors, who also identify as traditional healers, will consult with mythical spirits for anyone who can pay their fee. The spirits are believed to communicate through them, the kind of sacrifice for appeasement that they require. Often these sacrifices are chickens or goats, but when such sacrifices fail to make the client prosper instantly, 'the spirits' are believed to demand human sacrifices.

Witch doctors have multiple reasons for child sacrifice like health, good fortune, and to ward off evil spirits.

Often, this practice involves a strategic maneuver, where the witchdoctor assigns the client an unattainable task, thereby avoiding the appearance of failure on their part. In doing so, the witch doctor obtains substantial wealth by orchestrating and executing human sacrifices, commanding exorbitant fees for their services. This disturbing trend is fueled by the client's insatiable desire for instant riches and the witch doctor's unbridled greed. Consequently, a disturbing market has emerged, where children are bought and sold as commodities. Regrettably the practice of child sacrifice has transcended religious or culture connotations to evolve into a chilling commercial enterprise.

CAUSES 

Children are often victims of sacrifice for various reasons, the most common being they are relatively easy to abduct. As they are far more vulnerable than adults, children are more easily lured in or unable to fight back. Another reason children are abducted is that spiritually they are seen as 'purer'; a sacrifice that is "pure" or "unblemished" is believed to bring better results. If a child has been circumcised, scarred or has had their ears pricked, this represents disfigurement or impurity, and they may be spared from sacrifice. Some parents have marked their children in these ways to protect them.

In other cases, children are given to witch doctors by relatives out of desperation for money. A child's life is worth a high price, and it provides instant money for struggling families. Another cause for children being abducted is the belief that children represent new growing life and offering them as a sacrifice will bring prosperity and growth to the one procuring the sacrifice.

CHILD SACRIFICE 

Generally, a witchdoctor will try other methods first to bring about change of a person's misfortunes or desires using herbal remedies or animal sacrifices. When change is not successful, resorting to child sacrifice is proposed because it is believed to be the most powerful. When a child is sacrificed, the witch doctor and his accomplices will generally undertake the whole process. This includes: the witch-hunt, the abduction, followed by the removal of certain body parts, the making of a potion and lastly if required the discarding of the child's body.

One type of sacrifice is the removal of blood, which is then used in medicines or mixed with herbs. It will be used in the place where success, healing or wealth is desired. In other cases, a child is buried under a building foundation, either dead or alive, or only their hands, feet and genitals to bring good luck to the new building.

SURVIVORS

Children that survive are often left with traumatizing consequences for the rest of their lives. Most commonly survivors are left with large scars across their bodies; head and neck in particular. Genital mutilation is also a common occurrence for those that experience this ordeal, leading to urinary issues and distorted puberty development. The psychological damage to children affects their entire development; victims can struggle to develop ‘normal’ relationships after such an attack. Families are also affected as parents often bear the financial burden of covering short-term or long-term treatment.

This issue is also spiritual therefore we call upon all believers to stand in faith and break this curse, we also appeal to the members of our community and all people of good heart to help us protect the children we already have because we are not just protecting them from hunger and disease but from human sacrifices practice.