End Witch Hunts, nonprofit

Witchcraft accusations are still a major problem in many parts of the world today with devastating consequences for victims. The impacts on victims can include physical violence, social ostracization, economic deprivation, psychological trauma, and even death. Harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft are cases when someone harms another person whom they suspect has bewitched them, their kin, or their property. In addition, ritual attacks include the harmful practice of removing body parts from persons with albinism for the sake of creating medicine. We work to educate the public about witch-hunts in history and in the present, raise awareness of and prompt action to stop the violence associated with modern witchcraft accusations and harmful practices related to witchcraft accusations and ritual attacks. Persons with albinism, a genetic condition that causes the complete or partial absence of pigmentation in hair, skin, and eyes, face an elevated risk of ritual attacks in many areas. These attacks are made to harvest body parts (hair, limbs, etc.) for use in rituals and potions. According to myth, the body parts of persons with albinism possess magical qualities which can bring about good fortune. The parts are believed to be particularly potent while the target is alive, so victims are not killed before body parts are removed. In some cases, victims have been ritually sacrificed in the belief that killing a person with albinism will bring success and prosperity. In addition, many other toxic beliefs about persons with albinism continue to be spread.