By - Busola Badmus.
Sometimes I wonder how a woman will carry nine months pregnancy, go through stress, pains and evenually, after giving birth to the child, something mysterioius happens either to her (the parent) or the child, and she just draw a conclusion that the child is a witch.
What on earth would make me call my child a witch? The question that comes to my mind whenever i hear parents call their children witch is, "how do you know your child is a witch? How do you recognize a witch, please if you know, i need tutorial on this. Even if a prophet had told you this, i believe even before you remember that only prayer can take that evil spirit away, your first action should be rejecting the prophecy.
The case of witchcraft in children, as made many parents to forsake and abandon their heaveny gift, all in the name such child is another human from other place, and not fit to be among human beings. Some are even stoned, killed, and cast away or send into exintiction. Example of these cases mostly happens in rural areas, and they are often seen as uneducated, but today, its rampant in the urban areas even within educated ones.
To buttress my point, I will speak on a seven year old boy named Biodun (not real name). He was ostracized by his parents and he is called a witch, whenever he makes a mistake.
Biodun and his parents were new tenants in the house they reside, so whenever his parents call him a witch, people will think its just a joke, especially when he make a mistake, but this name calling became rampant to the extent that co-tenants have to show their concern on this development, especially when his parents lock him outside and he sleeps in the cold, till 2am (that's if he's lucky to see someone that comes out at the middle of the night to use the restroom to knock on his parents door and beg on his behalf) and many times, he sleeps outside their room, although in the compound (am talking about a compound with 22rooms), each parents in its room with their children but because Biodun is a witch, he sleeps outside when he behaves naughty.
He (Biodun) is the first child of family of Five and the only son, though not sure if his parents are done with child bearing anyway. His siblings which are girls, looks extremely beautiful and neat both in skin and in dresses always to the extent, you will almost ask the parents if Biodun is not their biological son.
All my life, I've seen the way male are been cherish in Africa, especially in my country, Nigeria, but not in Biodun's case. He's the most hated among his siblings, infact, the parents had many times wish him dead but Biodun seems to be serving a living God.
For crying out loud, whose child does not behave naughty, does it mean that when a child behaves naughty, he/she is a witch? Anytime Biodun behaves naughty and being flogged, the only excuse given by the mother to anyone who goes to plead on Biodun's behalf is "since his visits to the village, Biodun behaves like witch " and his sympathizers would now ask, "should you now kill him?".
This child-maltreatment by Biodun's parents often touch me and a pain is felt inside of me whenever he is found sleeping outside, after flimsy excuses by his parents, even to the extent that I will turn such night into a vigil asking God to touch his parents heart, and allow him in, to rescue him from the night.
Biodun's issue have made me to discuss with people many times on how to help him out of this trauma, and also highlighting to them, the consequences of keeping such a child of his age outside in middle of the night, but am restricted from taking an action because Biodun's parents is this kind of people that take offences in people's advice. I really want an advice on the best way to approach them because i feel it will be best for me to first approach them and they fail to heed to correction, i will then take action against them to report to the authorities in charge of children.
The present weather, which is Harmarttan is here even though it came late in Lagos. Biodun's parents will not stop punishing the poor boy of sleeping outside because he's been naughty and his stubborness is attributed to the witch he got from his village.
I feel his pain more during this cold weather. If me as an adult can sleep in my room covered with two wrappers, how would Biodun feels at that tender age, sleeping outside the room.
I know someone can help me here, i need advice on how best to talk to Biodun parents, i need to help this little boy get over this.
My Advice to all parents and parents to be :
First: If you are not ready psychologically to be responsible to a child's care, don't get pregnant.
Second: Every child is special and a gift from God, even if the birth wasn't planned, the child's mission on earth is of great importance to have forced his/her way to earth.
Thirdly : As a parents, let's be prayerful, our children needs our prayers, is not enough for us to provide them with physical things and forget to build them spiritually.
The last: Stop hitting your children, it makes them more violent, they have ears, speak to them, be their examples, let them aim to be like you, be their super heroes.
