Songtaba has called on government to prioritise inmates of alleged witches camps in northern Ghana under the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme to improve their welfare and access to social protection services.
The women and children advocacy organisation made the appeal during a Mother’s Day outreach at the Kpatinga Alleged Witches Camp, where it donated food items, clothing, toiletries, cooking utensils, and hot meals to women accused of witchcraft and living at the camp.
The outreach also featured clean-up exercises, soap-making training, self-care activities, and cultural performances aimed at restoring dignity and creating a sense of belonging for the women.
Speaking during the event, Lamnatu Adam said many of the women at the camps were elderly, poor, and had lived away from their families for years after being accused of witchcraft.
She noted that some women had spent more than a decade in the camps and continued to live without access to decent shelter, potable water, and other basic social services.
Hajia Lamnatu stressed that although advocacy efforts continued toward ending the existence of alleged witches camps, government must ensure that inmates currently living there benefited from interventions such as LEAP and improved humanitarian support.
She also renewed calls for the passage and enforcement of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill to address witchcraft accusations and the banishment of women from their communities.
According to her, poverty, illiteracy, and harmful cultural beliefs remained key drivers of witchcraft accusations, making community sensitisation and women’s economic empowerment critical in addressing the problem.
Zenabu Azumah appealed for better living conditions and stronger legal protection for women accused of witchcraft, while expressing gratitude to Songtaba and its partners for celebrating Mother’s Day with them.
