Spiritual and Ritual Abuse (SARA) occurs when a person or a group harms another person or group physically, emotionally, psychologically, or sexually while acting on a belief, whether religious, spiritual, traditional, cultural, or secular in nature. The potential for SARA is present within all belief systems and is not limited to faith or religious contexts.
SARA is a widespread, global phenomenon and can take many forms, many of which are recognized as Harmful Practices. According to the United Nations, “a variety of harmful practices exist, including female genital mutilation (FGM), child and forced marriage, virginity testing and related practices, extreme dietary restrictions, including during pregnancy (force-feeding, food taboos), binding, scarring, branding/infliction of tribal marks, corporal punishment, stoning, violent initiation rites, widowhood practices, accusations of witchcraft, infanticide, incest and body modifications that are performed for the purpose of beauty or marriageability of girls and women.”
Our Project
End Witch Hunts has launched an initiative to address the problem of SARA, including exorcisms which, when pushed too far, can cause harms, such as illness, injury, psychological trauma, and even death. SARA is an underreported phenomenon in the U.S. and many other nations. End Witch Hunts is actively tracking Spiritual and Ritual Abuse cases in the United States to help shed light on this hidden phenomenon.
Forms of Spiritual and Ritual Abuse
This is not an exhaustive list. However, these are some of the most common forms SARA takes. Many are prohibited under national laws and international treaties. Others have yet to be specifically addresses legislatively. These harmful practices occur around the globe, including in the United States, where End Witch Hunts is based.
Possession and Exorcism
Labeling someone as a demoniac or host of a spirit, ghost, demon, or other entity can be harmful to that person. In desperation to free a child or adult of a feared presence, extreme measures may be employed, resulting in trauma, injury, or death. In many societies, witchcraft and spirit possession are closely linked. In addition to releasing spirits or demons, exorcism is sometimes used to “convert” LGTBQ+ persons.
Accusations of Witchcraft
The global crisis of Harmful Practices Related to Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks is recognized by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s Resolution A/HRC/47/8. According to a UN report, these practices have been reported in more than 60 nations in the last 20 years, resulting in some 20,000 known victims and many more unknown victims. End Witch Hunts was initially formed in response to this specific crisis.
FGM/C
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Female Genital Mutilation as “all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.” Globally, more than 140 MILLION women and girls alive today have been subjected to FGM/C.
Coercion
An adherent to a belief uses that belief to control other like-minded people, or a person uses another person’s belief to control them or manipulate them into doing something they otherwise would not do.
“Honor” Crimes
A person, often a woman, a girl, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, is murdered or assaulted after being accused of bringing dishonor or shame to an individual or family. An estimated 5,000 plus women and girls die in honor killings each year.
Human Trafficking and Slavery
Manipulative human traffickers can use people’s beliefs against them. For example, a person may be told they will be cursed to death if they violate certain rules or leave certain areas.
Harmful Traditional Practices
Any traditional practice or ritual which harms any person or places any person in harm’s way can be considered a harmful traditional practice. One example is Pillai Thookkam, which places infants in mortal danger of falling. During this ceremony, babies are held by men attached to poles, which are raised to great heights. The babies are not harnessed or otherwise secured by anything but the men’s hands, and babies have been dropped in the process.
Child Marriage
Girls Not Brides says “Child marriage is a global issue. It is fueled by gender inequality, poverty, social norms and insecurity, and has devastating consequences all over the world.” Globally, 1 in 5 Girls is married before the age of 18. Every 3 seconds, a girl is married. That is 12 million every year. Across the world, more than 650 MILLION women living today were married during childhood.
Ritual Attacks
In ritual attacks, a person may be sacrificed or may be targeted for body parts to be used in ritual/magic recipes. The body parts are often considered to be more potent when taken from a living victim. Persons with albinism are often victims of this violence.
Forced Marriage
Forcible or coercive marriage is often facilitated by abduction, rape, or exchange. Women and girls, particularly from vulnerable communities, are the predominant victims of forced marriage, which are sometimes arranged by parents in exchange for goods or services or to resolve a conflict.
Dowry Violence
In the dowry or bride price system, one family pays another in goods, property, money, or services for the privilege of marriage. In these systems, girls are commoditized while boys who cannot afford to a bride price go unmarried. In addition, unpaid dowries or increased demands are sometimes responded to with violence.
Menstruation Ostracism
In some societies, women and girls are forced to leave there homes while menstruating or after childbirth. In some nations, girls are confined to small buildings for many days. Women and girls are known to have died at times in these isolation chambers.
Corrective Rape
Women and girls known or perceived to be homosexual are raped in an effort to “convert” them to heterosexuality. These hate crimes are dually traumatic for victims, who face both the sexual violence and the stigma attached to homosexuality in many societies and cultures.
Sex Selective Abortion and Infanticide
In many societies, male children are preferred over females, due to the lower status of women. In India, for every 1,000 boys born, only 914 girls are born. In addition, newborn girls are sometimes abandoned or killed through assault or neglect.
Virginity Testing
A girl’s hymen is inspected to prove whether or not she is a virgin, often as a condition of marriage or dowry. In the words of Save the Children, “the practice humiliates and undermines the bodily integrity and dignity of girls, can cause physical and psychological
trauma, and is tantamount to sexual abuse.”
Links and Resources
Visit our Resource page to find helpful links and materials.