Photo: 11-year-old Nigerian girl accused of witchcraft by her father, beaten and thrown out the house

According to UNICEF Nigeria, 11-year-old Nigerian girl Brenda (not real name) was accused of witchcraft by her father, who held her responsible for his misfortune in life. She was beaten and thrown out the house.

"Brenda now lives in a church, doesn’t attend school anymore and her desire to be a doctor now seems a pipe dream." said UNICEF Nigeria. "Ironically most states where children are accused of witchcraft and maltreated have passed the Child Rights Law. When families fall into hard times, a child is accused of using witchcraft to bewitch the family. In this period of economic recession if we do not start a campaign on strict implementation of the Child Rights Law to protect these children, maybe more would be branded witches"

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