'Exorcism' and witchcraft child abuse on the rise in Britain

Reports of child abuse in the name of faith increase dramatically.

The number of child abuse cases involving "exorcisms" and witchcraft are on the rise, according to a recent report from the Metropolitan Police in the UK.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - BBC reported about half of police forces do not record cases of exorcism/witchcraft abuse. Many local authorities are unable to provide exact figures as "need to ensure they are able to spot the signs of this particular brand of abuse," said the NSPCC.

"Project Violet" is London's designated police force to crime reports of abuse linked to faith or belief. Numbers show that many of those crimes are against children.

Special unit "Project Violet" has reportedly received 46 cases of child abuse with allegations of exorcism and witchcraft, twice the number the previous year. Although the cases are still "small in number," Detective Sergeant Terry Sharpe said, it shows a definite significant increase. Some of the cases involve abuses with horrifying levels of cruelty.

"You'll get the actual physical abuse and injuries taking place, and, in the worst-case scenario, we've had some homicides as well," stated Sharpe.

Detective Sharpe recalled a case where a nine-year-old boy was thrown out of his house by his parents, calling the child the "devil child." He was found by the social services standing outside on his bare feet. Another incident involved a mother who tried to bite and smother her son, believing he was "a witch possessed by evil spirits."

"Children are blamed - especially stepchildren," said founder of Africans Unite Against Child Abuse, Debbie Ariyo, explaining that such accusations are made as families experience problems, including financial burdens. There are churches, according to Ariyo, that allows the "exorcism" abuse within their walls to extort money from the shamed families as their child is branded with "evil spirits."

Ariyo expressed concerns over the lack of awareness Britain's childcare professionals have in dealing with children and individuals from the African and South Asian communities. Most of them tend to be victims of people from other faiths and cultural backgrounds.

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