The belief in witchcraft has been an integral part of African culture since time immemorial. This stems from the conviction that some people are believed to have magical powers that enable them to influence the actions or destiny of others, especially for evil purposes. In some communities in the Northern Region of Ghana, the belief is so deep-rooted that women who were accused of being witches are taken to isolated parts of towns to live in houses which have been designated witches' camps. This is after they have been battered, disgraced and exposed to public ridicule. These unfortunate women are suspected to have masterminded the death, incapacitation or failure of some persons in their families or communities. Some of them confess to the crimes for which they are accused, but others claim innocence. Though a lot of the alleged witches are forcibly taken to the camps, others go there voluntarily upon realising that their lives are in danger. On the other hand, men who arc suspected to have sorcery powers are revered because they are believed to use their powers to cure sicknesses, identify evildoers and help their ethnic groups to win wars. Meanwhile, living conditions at the witches' camps are deplorable, since access to food, water and other basic amenities is very limited, and the social life of the women is greatly affected. Some of the women stay in these camps with their children or grandchildren and, inevitably, such children are denied education and social integration due to the environment in which they find themselves. The camps, notwithstanding the myriad of problems they face, serve as safe havens for the accused women, since in those places nobody comes to harass them. Many human rights groups have spoken against this practice. However, the local communities are yet to come to terms with the idea that it is wrong to accuse and mistreat women who are suspected to be witches. Indeed, the laws of Ghana make provisions for the protection of each citizen from all forms of human rights abuses, particularly those that lower the dignity of their victims, but the implementation of such laws is yet to see the light of day. This barbarous practice can soon become a thing of the past if the new strength found in an alliance among the accused women works in their favour. The women have come together to form an alliance that will enable them to sit on the same platform with the people who reject them and with other stakeholders to claim respect for their fundamental human right. Sixty representatives from six witches' camps in the Northern Region convened in Tamale recently to form the alliance, which has been named the Ti Gbibi Taba Women's Network. It comprises women from the Nanumba North, Namumba South, Yendi, Central Gonja, Chereponi and Gushiegu witches' camps. The name 'Ti Gbibi Taba', which is a Dagbani term literally meaning 'Let's support each other', was adopted by the women to give them strength through group solidarity, at a time when their families and community members have neglected them. They undertook the initiative through the support of 'Songtaba', a rights-based advocacy non-governmental organisation, in collaboration with ActionAid Ghana. With smiles on their faces, they sang, danced and showed some renewed hope for better days ahead. The coming together of the women is expected to give them a louder voice for the world to hear their plight and free them from their predicament. Speaking at the launch of the group, the Programme Officer for Gender and Women's Rights at ActionAid Ghana, Ms Rahinatu Fuseini, observed that most of the people accused of sorcery were often women in their mid 40s or older. She said ActionAid, in its quest to ensure that the rights of alleged witches were not further abused, had been working with 'Songtaba' to create awareness on the plight of women in the witches' camps. "ActionAid has also been providing some immediate needs of the women, such as re-roofing their huts," she added. She appealed to the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and other organisations to lend a hand to the women and children in the camps. She also called on the media to give more coverage to the plight of the women so that they could be re-integrated into their communities. "The media can also use the airwave to educate members of the communities on the need to abandon such archaic and barbaric traditions," she added. The Programme Co-ordinator for 'Songtaba', Mr Kudjoe Enoch, said prior to the launch of the -network, his outfit had- undertaken awareness creation programmes in all six camps, sensitising them to the need to have a common voice. He 'said the NGO was committed to empowering women to rise 'up to the challenge and resist all forms of cultural practice that infringed on their rights. "Songtaba's mission is to work with poor women and girls in identifying the root causes of their impoverishment and address them in a rights-based manner," he stated. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana