We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the high rates of child abandonment, torture and killings due to the widely held belief in child "witches" in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
We believe that all children have the right to be protected from being hurt or mistreated, either phyically or mentally, and that it is the role of the Government to ensure this. As such we declare our full support for the key demands of the Prevent Abandonment of Children Today (PACT) campaign. These are as follows:
1 That the Nigerian federal government enact legislation making it illegal for children to be branded as 'witches'
2 That the Akwa Ibom State Government work with all stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan of action to protect and save the lives of children branded as 'witches'
3 The Akwa Ibom State Government should begin to regulate the activities of churches known to be violating the rights of children
4 The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) should ban all home videos that promote superstitious beliefs and lead to the stigmatisation of children as "witches"
We call upon the Nigerian Federal Government, the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to do everything in their powers to protect and save the lives of these innocent children. The eyes of the world are watching . Turning a blind eye to this needless suffering is not an option. Please act now.
NEWSFLASH - Akwa Ibom State Government Meets Previous Key Demand of PACT Campaign and Enacts Child Rights Act in Akwa Ibom State!!! We acknowledge and appreciate the support of the Akwa Ibom State Government for the PACT Campaign and sincerely hope that they may offer further financial and institutional support for the campaign in the months to come.
For more information on the two organisations that launched and promote the PACT campaign in Akwa Ibom State please see the following websites:
www.steppingstonesnigeria.org www.crarn.org
Please do also join the FaceBook Group - Help the Child Witches of Nigeria http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9476440119&ref=ts
Thank you so much for your support!
We, the undersigned, are deeply concerned by the high rates of child abandonment, torture and killings due to the widely held belief in child "witches" in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.
We believe that all children have the right to be protected from being hurt or mistreated, either phyically or mentally, and that it is the role of the Government to ensure this. As such we declare our full support for the key demands of the Prevent Abandonment of Children Today (PACT) campaign. These are as follows:
1 That the Nigerian federal government enact legislation making it illegal for children to be branded as 'witches'
2 That the Akwa Ibom State Government work with all stakeholders to develop a comprehensive plan of action to protect and save the lives of children branded as 'witches'
3 The Akwa Ibom State Government should begin to regulate the activities of churches known to be violating the rights of children
4 The Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) should ban all home videos that promote superstitious beliefs and lead to the stigmatisation of children as "witches"
We call upon the Nigerian Federal Government, the Akwa Ibom State Government and the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) to do everything in their powers to protect and save the lives of these innocent children. The eyes of the world are watching . Turning a blind eye to this needless suffering is not an option. Please act now.
NEWSFLASH - Akwa Ibom State Government Meets Previous Key Demand of PACT Campaign and Enacts Child Rights Act in Akwa Ibom State!!! We acknowledge and appreciate the support of the Akwa Ibom State Government for the PACT Campaign and sincerely hope that they may offer further financial and institutional support for the campaign in the months to come.
For more information on the two organisations that launched and promote the PACT campaign in Akwa Ibom State please see the following websites:
www.steppingstonesnigeria.org www.crarn.org
Please do also join the FaceBook Group - Help the Child Witches of Nigeria http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9476440119&ref=ts
We signed the "Help the Child Witches of Nigeria - Support the Prevent Abandonment of Children Today(PACT) Campaign" petition!
# 8,158:
1:01 pm PST, Nov 20,Robin Canniford, United Kingdom
"And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea."
Thank you Stepping Stones Nigeria for helping these innocents.
# 8,157:
1:01 pm PST, Nov 20,Michelle Cartwright, United Kingdom
# 8,156:
10:35 am PST, Nov 20,Lauren Bannister, United Kingdom
# 8,155:
9:31 am PST, Nov 20,Roisin Sweeney, United Kingdom
# 8,154:
5:15 am PST, Nov 20,Sophie Hickman, United Kingdom
Just seen the dispatches documentary which has broken my heart, help these poor children
# 8,153:
11:55 pm PST, Nov 19,Jackie Grigg, United Kingdom
Whether people are doing this in the name of superstition, misguided religious belief or because of ignorance, there is no possible excuse that I can think of, for adults to use their power and control over children to systematically abuse them in this cruel way.
# 8,152:
4:35 am PST, Nov 19,Lorraine Aston, United Kingdom
# 8,151:
8:28 am PST, Nov 18,Sandra Norman, United Kingdom
I have children & grandchildren - living in love & safety which is the right of ALL children.
# 8,150:
2:07 am PST, Nov 18,David Belcher, Canada
# 8,149:
12:09 am PST, Nov 18,Arild Warud, Portugal
# 8,148:
10:11 pm PST, Nov 17,Lexy Hocking, United Kingdom
The abuse shown in the documentary horrified me, especially when one little girl reported she was terrified of being "macheted." No child should ever have to suffer that kind of fear. Children are a blessing, to be loved and cared for. This outrage needs to be stopped and I will pass the word of this petition to as many as I can.
# 8,147:
2:05 pm PST, Nov 17,Lisa Douglas, United Kingdom
I am utterly outraged and sickned by what is happening to these children. PLEASE DO SOMETHING TO STOP THESE ATROCITIES, RIGHT NOW!
# 8,146:
1:19 pm PST, Nov 17,Alan Doyle, United Kingdom
# 8,145:
1:18 pm PST, Nov 17,Jasmine Patel, United Kingdom
I am horrified that these kind of abuses continue to occur throughout the world. From what I can see the main cause tends to be a lack of education on the perpetrator's part. It is only through education and continuing to fight poverty that we can stop these killings from occurring.
# 8,144:
12:44 pm PST, Nov 17,Hannah Gwilt, United Kingdom
i agree strongly with this petition and think children need to be recognised when needing help.
# 8,143:
7:50 am PST, Nov 17,Silvana Vellosa, United Kingdom
# 8,142:
6:40 am PST, Nov 16,Samuel Nosa, Switzerland
# 8,141:
6:33 am PST, Nov 15,Jonathan Clarke, United Kingdom
# 8,140:
3:59 pm PST, Nov 14,S Baj, Netherlands
# 8,139:
2:26 pm PST, Nov 13,Doris Lein, Illinois
# 8,138:
2:46 am PST, Nov 12,Michaela Hamilton, Australia
Iam so saddened to see so many innocent children's lives and that of some of thier parents are being destroyed purely by such cruel evil and misguided superstition. It is a sitution that simply dos'nt need to be and it deeply upsets me that any harm can come to any child becuase an adult in a villiage, a parent or a religious worker chooses to denouce the child as a witch. Please protect the children of your country and help to stamp out any media that promotes these immoral and ridiculous beliefs in the supernatural. Please enact laws that punish any people that profit or harm any children in relation to falsely accusing them of withcraft. God bless the Children of Nigeria.
Yours Sincerely,
Michaela Hamilton
# 8,137:
6:33 pm PST, Nov 11,Name not displayed, New York
# 8,136:
6:32 pm PST, Nov 11,Name not displayed, New York
# 8,135:
6:00 am PST, Nov 11,Sarah Maxwell, Ireland
# 8,134:
5:54 am PST, Nov 11,Eddy Neirinckx, Belgium
Helen Ukpabio is the satan herself
# 8,133:
7:58 pm PST, Nov 10,Hailey Wohlwend, California
# 8,132:
4:42 am PST, Nov 10,Bebe Randjelovych, Serbia And Montenegro
# 8,131:
3:54 am PST, Nov 10,Philipp Geißler, Germany
As a lutheran pastor I am shocked and disgusted about what I have learned about the stigmatisation of children as "witches" taking place in Nigeria. That this supersticious "belief" seems to be supported by some so called "churches" and "pastors" is awful and not in the sense of, what I belive to be, the teachings of our savior Jesus Christ. Please help to preserve the rights and the dignity of children. Thank You
# 8,130:
9:05 pm PST, Nov 9,Anna Burke, Australia
# 8,129:
7:03 pm PST, Nov 9,Dagmar Lohmeier Anders, Spain
# 8,128:
3:12 pm PST, Nov 9,Jim Bush, Texas
Jesus loved children. He would never mistreat one.
# 8,127:
11:21 am PST, Nov 9,Satu Mannonen, Finland
# 8,126:
2:15 am PST, Nov 9,Sławomir Uliasz, Poland
# 8,125:
1:40 am PST, Nov 9,Marianne Pennings, Netherlands
# 8,124:
1:31 am PST, Nov 9,Sonia Spencer, United Kingdom
Please stop this horrific torture!
# 8,123:
1:12 am PST, Nov 9,Luke Dryland, Australia
# 8,122:
12:35 am PST, Nov 9,Jaime Beckman, Pennsylvania
Being an actual witch, I'm beyond angry at how these children are being abused. Wicca is a Craft of love, not hate. May Goddess be with all these children and protect them from the monsters that are abusing them. And, for the record, how dare they accuse witches of being evil when they are the ones abusing children?
# 8,121:
3:24 pm PST, Nov 8,Shermeem Turton, United Kingdom
Children are a gift from God. Please this torture is barbaric and must stop. i cried watching some of the footage and i'm safe in my own home, i cried because these children are easy targets and vulnerable. Please please please make this STOP NOW!!!
# 8,120:
2:12 pm PST, Nov 8,Igor Chodan, Poland
# 8,119:
12:32 pm PST, Nov 8,Michael Mullins, Tennessee
# 8,118:
11:15 am PST, Nov 8,AJ Sartiel, Israel
# 8,117:
5:44 am PST, Nov 8,Kaisuorvokki Manning, Finland
Torturing is worst of all disgusting filthy crimes humans can do!
# 8,116:
5:08 pm PST, Nov 7,Kasia Richer-Juraszek, Canada
# 8,115:
9:28 am PST, Nov 7,Pepe Luis Crespo, Mexico
Stop abusing children in the name of Jesus.The abusive pastors are taking benefit of the ignorance of these poor people to get their money. What is the government doing to stop it?
# 8,114:
7:15 am PST, Nov 7,Poorvi Perpetua De Sa, India
# 8,113:
7:03 am PST, Nov 7,Name not displayed, Minnesota
# 8,112:
12:18 am PST, Nov 7,Maja Pankiewicz, Poland
# 8,111:
7:51 pm PST, Nov 6,Sagiia Rae, Wisconsin
# 8,110:
1:10 pm PST, Nov 6,Deborah Outman, Georgia
Children should be cherished, not used and abused. This horror must stop
# 8,109:
1:08 pm PST, Nov 6,Samata Abudulai, United Kingdom
# 8,108:
12:06 pm PST, Nov 6,Margarita Ruiz, New Jersey
# 8,107:
11:48 am PST, Nov 6,Amy BawTheresa, United Kingdom
# 8,106:
10:31 am PST, Nov 6,Isobel Pearce, United Kingdom
# 8,105:
9:46 am PST, Nov 6,Xavier Bayle, Spain
# 8,104:
9:33 am PST, Nov 6,Boguslaw Knapik, Poland
Please, stop this unhuman and savage practice. Ecery child is ours...
