Warning: The following post contains graphic contents which may upset readers

The main findings and conclusions of the research are summarized below. It is important to note that the research focused on identified or reported ritual killing cases. It is very likely that the actual number of murders for ritualistic purposes is significantly higher.

• In Ghana, 160 ritual killings were identified between 2012 and 2021, including 94 children (58.8%). This represents a yearly average of at least 9 victims.
• In Kenya, 102 ritual killings were reported in the 2012 – 2021 period which figure includes 66 children (64.7%) or a yearly average of 6-7 victims.
• The arrest rates were extremely low in both countries.
• Greed, money, was the main motivation of ritual killers in combination with superstition, notably in Ghana. In Kenya, many perpetrators caught murdered in fulfillment of their membership of devil worship or occult sects.
• Besides the belief in juju, also illiteracy, poverty and a failing justice system were important factors explaining the murdering of children for ritualistic purposes.
• The authors of the study present some recommendations to fight ritualistic killings.
  
  To download the study (38 pp.) please click here.
  (webmaster FVDK)
  
  Killing children for rituals is rife in Ghana and Kenya, research shows

Published: September 23, 2024
By: Emmanuel Sarpong Owusu – Modern Ghana

This important study, titled “Ritual Child Homicides in Ghana and Kenya: A Criminological Analysis”, is published in Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence at:
https://doi.org/10.23860/dignity.2024.09.02.04.

Source: Killing Children for Rituals is Rife in Ghana and Kenya, Research Shows