Gary Foxcroft, head of Stepping Stone Nigeria, writes:
Returning to Nigeria to see what progress has been made since the broadcast of Saving Africa's Witch Children, I was filled full of a mixture of apprehension, hope and excitement. Apprehension was born of all the extra security measures that we had to put into place for the latest visit with blacked out windows and armed security now being seen as needed for protection.
Despite such distractions, I was hopeful that there may have been some positive changes. With the Nigerian Federal Government having agreed an amnesty with the militants in the Delta there was a sense optimism in the air. Feelings of great excitement flooded me at the thought of seeing all the many much-loved children that I hadn't seen for a year.
Before the documentary was shown I remember thinking to myself that it would be a real result if we could eradicate child abuse due to the belief in witchcraft during my lifetime. Today, having seen all the recent developments that have taken place I am much more optimistic. There is a much greater sense of awareness of the issue of child witch stigmatisation in the region and what the legal implications of this may be. This is thanks to the lead that the Akwa Ibom State Government has taken with this issue and the widespread media awareness campaigns that have been carried out by them and NGOs like Stepping Stones Nigeria and the Child Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN). Indeed whenever you turn on the TV or radio on you are likely to come across messages speaking out against the practice.
Billboards along the road carry anti- child stigmatisation slogans, films and songs are being made on the issue, drama groups are performing plays that challenge the belief system, people are talking about it and, most importantly, the lives of the many children affected by the belief are improving.
Much of this is also thanks to the overwhelming response that Stepping Stones Nigeria received after the film was shown and we remain incredibly grateful for this amazing support.
The £200,000 that we received in donations has given us the opportunity to further expand the facilities at the CRARN children's centre, establish another street children project in Oron (where Mary was rescued from) and produce a Nollywood film for distribution throughout Africa that strongly challenges the belief in child witches.
Recent cases of children dying after having had acid poured over them or simply found dead at the side of the road after being labelled as 'witches' highlight the fact that there is still a great deal of work to be done. However, I now remain convinced that, with continued support from the Government, media and donors, we can overcome this monumental challenge and eradicate this horrific practice in the next 5 to 10 years.
Things are definitely changing.
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