Facts Finding in Witchcraft

Occultism and demonology are both strongly believed by most Nepalese people, especially in the remote and rural areas of Nepal . It is a strange and a pitiful reality that most Nepalese believe that witchcraft is performed within the community only by women. Having a strong false notion about witches and fearing the Boksi (witch) and the practice of witchcraft, also called the tantra-mantra , many people often blindly and heartlessly make their daughter-in-laws or their neighbors (usually women) deal with inhumane behavior. And remarkably, there seems to be no existence of the Boksa (a he-witch). There have been innumerable cases in Nepal when a woman, suspected of being a witch, or assumed of practicing witchcraft, is either brutally and mercilessly battered by her husband or parents-in-laws or by the community and put to death or she is made to parade naked in her village area, or is forcefully made to wear a garland of shoes and smeared black polish all over her face. There have been cases when a woman, assumed of being a witch has been forced to eat human faeces to deliberately torture and affront her believing that the powers of a witch would be wiped out after she is made to consume human faeces. It is unfortunate that the Nepalese "women-witches" have to suffer such disgraceful, astringent behavior.

The reasons behind such maltreatment are superstition, illiteracy, lenient law, poverty and above all, gender inequality.

In an attempt to stop such brutal onslaughts and infringement of human rights, FWLD has been strongly involved in facts finding against violation of human rights within Nepal and has been participating and spearheading radical missions particularly in gender-related issues and violence against women, in various districts of Nepal . FWLD had been involved in a Facts Finding on a Witchcraft issue in the Mahotari district on …..

• Fact Findings Report on Witchcraft in Mahotari District….

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