The BBC has broadcast two special reports into the abusive practices of some African witchdoctors who are abducting and abusing children in the name of healing.
The first report, which was shown on BBC News at 10 on 12 October, focused on child sacrifice and mutilation in Uganda (watch the report here).
The second report, on 13 October, revealed how African children are being trafficked into the UK (watch the second report here).
ECPAT UK director, Christine Beddoe, is featured in the second report . She says: “Our experience tells us that traffickers can be anybody. They can be people with power, people with money or people involved in witchcraft.
“Trafficking can involve witchdoctors and other types of professionals in the community who are using those practices.”
The BBC reports that more than 400 African children have been abducted, trafficked to the UK and rescued by British authorities – based on figures from ECPAT UK, the Metropolitan Police and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).
In the second report, the presenter, Chris Rogers, show how he could buy human blood from a witch-doctor in the UK and demonstrates how easy it would be to obtain an abducted child in Uganda.
The two reports form part of a larger programme – Our World, the Witchdoctors’ Children – to be shown on the BBC News channel at 4.30am on Saturday 15 October. The programme will be available on BBC iPlayer soon.
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ECPATUK: New training dates added to our Introduction to Child Trafficking course for all practitioners working with children: http://t.co/HVB8JEsO
ECPATUK: RT @DebsBeadle: Just completing Gold Youth Achievement Award with @ECPATUK Youth Group member gaining valuable life skills @UKYouth
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ECPATUK: RT @DebsBeadle: Just completing Gold Youth Achievement Award with @ECPATUK Youth Group member gaining valuable life skills @UKYouth
ECPATUK: @ECPAT UK Director Christine Beddoe on @BBCLondon949 speaking to @VanessaOnAir about vulnerable Roma children being forced to beg in London
ECPATUK: New training dates added to our Introduction to Child Trafficking course for all practitioners working with children: http://t.co/HVB8JEsO
ECPATUK: See how @ECPATUK has contributed to documentaries and programmes on trafficking and exploitation:http://t.co/BGmEVJq5
