Recent reporting has revisited a number of deeply disturbing child abuse cases, including the murder of Victoria Climbié, framing them as evidence that “witchcraft” is spreading unchecked in Britain.
The historical cases referenced are real and horrific but they also sit within a complex social context. They exposed grave failures and led to profound reform of the UK’s safeguarding system. However, it is important to distinguish between established findings and interpretive commentary.
What the official inquiry found
The public inquiry into Victoria Climbié’s death, chaired by Lord Herbert Laming, identified catastrophic systemic failures across agencies — including poor communication, inadequate record-keeping, weak risk assessment, and failure to follow basic child protection procedures.
The inquiry did not conclude that abuse was tolerated because it was perceived as “African culture” or religious practice. Its central findings concerned fragmentation, missed opportunities and professional error.
While professionals may at times have felt uncertain about challenging explanations framed in religious or cultural language, this is distinct from consciously excusing abuse.
Against this backdrop, other cases and key concerns, include
The Murder of Kristy Bamu (2010)
Kristy Bamu, 15, was tortured and drowned in Newham by his sister and her partner after being accused of witchcraft. His siblings were also abused but survived.
The judge made clear that belief in witchcraft could not mitigate murder. The case reinforced concerns that accusations of possession or “kindoki” were being used to justify severe abuse.
The “Adam” Case (2001)
The torso of a young boy — later nicknamed “Adam” — was found in the Thames near Tower Bridge. Detectives believed it may have been a ritual killing linked to so-called “muti” practices (a term sometimes used to describe ritual use of body parts in parts of southern Africa).
No one has ever been convicted in the case.
The scale of the issue
There is no standalone national statistic counting “witchcraft accusations.” Instead, cases are recorded under the broader safeguarding category of “abuse linked to faith or belief.”
In England, just over 2,000 assessments in the most recent year recorded faith or belief as a possible contextual factor. Over a decade, around 14,000 such assessments have been noted.
These figures:
* Do not represent confirmed abuse cases.
* Do not isolate witchcraft accusations specifically.
* Include a wide range of religious and spiritual contexts.
Relative to overall child protection referrals, this remains a small proportion of cases. The evidence supports the conclusion that such abuse is rare — but real.
Safeguarding consensus
There has long been professional agreement that abuse linked to faith or belief is not a separate category of harm. It falls within existing definitions of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse or neglect.
The Victoria Climbié Foundation and many safeguarding specialists emphasise that the focus must remain on harmful actions, not belief systems. Labelling a child as “wicked” or possessed can constitute emotional abuse; physical harm justified through spiritual language remains physical abuse.
Belief itself is not criminal. Harm to a child is.
Avoiding two equal risks
There are two risks in public discussion:
Minimising rare but serious cases of abuse justified through spiritual language
Framing the issue in ways that stigmatise specific communities, particularly African diaspora families.
Research consistently finds that belief in spirits, demons or witchcraft exists across multiple faiths and cultures. The overwhelming majority of those who hold beliefs do not harm children.
Safeguarding policy now aims to avoid both under-reaction and racialisation. Training increasingly focuses on cultural competence, reflective practice and practitioner confidence — ensuring that professionals ask the right questions without stereotyping families.
The VCF training approach
The Victoria Climbié Foundation UK in collaboration with the New African Families Service National and International Network (NAFSNIN), provides interactive online workshops that combine UK safeguarding law with African-centred psychology.
It promotes reflective practice, understanding migration stress and “Two Houses” identity, and reducing over-intervention caused by cultural misunderstandings.
The training aims to reduce racialisation, improve assessment accuracy, increase practitioner confidence, and prevent misinterpreting difference as danger, addressing risks of disproportionate scrutiny in diaspora communities following high-profile cases, such as in some FGM responses.
Where we are now
The UK safeguarding framework today is substantially stronger than it was in 2000. Multi-agency safeguarding partnerships, clearer statutory duties and improved recording systems have developed in direct response to past failures.
Child abuse linked to faith or belief is recognised within guidance. It is addressed through established child protection law. It is monitored, though not always separately disaggregated in statistics. And it is treated as a safeguarding matter — not as evidence of cultural pathology.
The lesson of past tragedies is not that particular communities should be viewed with suspicion. It is that systems must be competent, curious and focused on the welfare of the child above all else.
The task now is to maintain that balance: protect children decisively where harm occurs, and resist narratives that conflate belief, ethnicity and abuse.
B-MAG members working on child abuse linked to faith or beliefs include;
New African Families Service National and International Network (NAFSNIN)
NAFSNIN@outlook.com
The Victoria Climbié Foundation UK (VCF)
victoriaclimbiefoundationuk@gmail
BME-Migrant Advisory Group (B-MAG) 