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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThousands of women, accused of sorcery, tortured and executed in Indian witch hunts
By Terrence McCoy
If it began like the others, the first sign that Saraswati Devi would be murdered was an accusation delivered to a shaman. Perhaps she had offended someone. Perhaps someone had fallen sick and had wondered why. Perhaps a community well had suddenly dried and someone needed blaming. Perhaps they chose her because Devi was lower caste, because she was a woman, and because theyd probably get away with it.
The killers came for her on Saturday. Two of her sons tried to save her, but couldnt and were beaten. Their punishment wouldnt match Devis. Before the 14 villagers inflicted injuries so severe they would claim her life, they forced her to consume human excreta, police told the Hindustan Times.
Though shocking by nearly any standard, the murder was not unique. It was not even uncommon in pockets of rural India.
In places where superstition and vigilantism overlap and small rumors can turn deadly, nearly 2,100 women accused of witchcraft have been killed between 2000 and 2012, according to crime records gathered by the Indian newspaper Mint. Others placed the number at 2,500; others higher still. Like the proverbial tip of a very deep iceberg, available data hides much of the reality of a problem that is deeply ingrained in society, according to New Delhi-based Partners for Law in Development. It is only the most gruesome cases that are reported most cases of witch-hunting go unreported and unrecorded.
more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/21/thousands-of-women-accused-of-sorcery-tortured-and-executed-in-indian-witch-hunts/
It feels like we are entering a new Dark Age. Or maybe we just never left the old one in some places.
conservaphobe
(1,284 posts)Jesus H...
ismnotwasm
(42,008 posts)How horrible.
samsingh
(17,601 posts)BrotherIvan
(9,126 posts)Brigid
(17,621 posts)That this was the motivation behind the Salem switch trials too.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)The stories of violence against women and girls are now almost daily. It's sickening. That culture has a serious problem and it will destroy them if they don't address it soon.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)If normal modern law and enforcement of said law was in place, this wouldn't happen, because the perpetrators would hang, or be in prison for a very long time. They are getting away with it, and that only encourages more lawlessness. Perhaps India has gotten too big to govern effectively as a single country.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Until the government and the LEO's take it seriously, there won't be much change in that country. Unfortunately for the poor women and girls in India. What a horrible way to live.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)They're legally considered "property" instead of a full human being with rights of their own. If they happen to live in more civilized parts of the country, they may be considered as subhuman and fair game by anyone who happens to catch them in a situation they can exploit.
Its both culture and religion that reinforce it, so women are in a double whammy there.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)There are so many brilliant Indian women in my company (a Fortune 500 Company) who excel at what they do. What an absolute waste of potential.
Zorra
(27,670 posts)fujiyama
(15,185 posts)This kind of insanity will eat India alive.
The treatment of women, huge swaths of the country mired in superstition, corruption beyond all imagination, and little investment in its own infrastructure all pose bigger problems than any neighboring country. I hope the new PM understands how dire these threats are. So far, I am very, very skeptical.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)Why are so many humans so incredibly idiotic and violent and just generally effed up?
Uncle Joe
(58,417 posts)enlightened as to the utter tragic, stupidity of their hateful ways.
Thanks for the thread, n2doc.