[House Hearing, 118 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
EFFORTS TO ADDRESS RITUAL ABUSE AND
SACRIFICE IN AFRICA
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS AND INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
of
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
September 19, 2023
__________
Serial No. 118-51
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available: http://www.foreignaffairs.house.gov/, http://docs.house.gov,
or http://www.govinfo.gov
______
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
53-723PDF WASHINGTON : 2024
COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Chairman
CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey GREGORY MEEKS, New York, Ranking
JOE WILSON, South Carolina Member
SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania BRAD SHERMAN, California
DARRELL ISSA, California GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia
ANN WAGNER, Missouri WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts
BRIAN MAST, Florida AMI BERA, California
KEN BUCK, Colorado JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas
TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee DINA TITUS, Nevada
MARK E. GREEN, Tennessee TED LIEU, California
ANDY BARR, Kentucky SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania
RONNY JACKSON, Texas DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota
YOUNG KIM, California COLIN ALLRED, Texas
MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida ANDY KIM, New Jersey
BILL HUIZENGA, Michigan SARA JACOBS, California
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, KATHY MANNING, North Carolina
American Samoa SHEILA CHERFILUS-McCORMICK,
FRENCH HILL, Arkansas Florida
WARREN DAVIDSON, Ohio GREG STANTON, Arizona
JIM BAIRD, Indiana MADELEINE DEAN, Pennsylvania
MICHAEL WALTZ, Florida JARED MOSKOWITZ, Florida
THOMAS KEAN, JR., New Jersey JONATHAN JACKSON, Illinois
MICHAEL LAWLER, New York SYDNEY KAMLAGER-DOVE, California
CORY MILLS, Florida JIM COSTA, California
RICH McCORMICK, Georgia JASON CROW, Colorado
NATHANIEL MORAN, Texas BRAD SCHNEIDER, Illinois
JOHN JAMES, Michigan
KEITH SELF, Texas
Brendan Shields, Staff Director
Sophia Lafargue, Staff Director
------
Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International
Organizations
CHRISTOPHER SMITH, New Jersey, Chair
MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania, Ranking
AUMUA AMATA COLEMAN RADEWAGEN, Member
American Samoa AMI BERA, California
FRENCH HILL, Arkansas SARA JACOBS, California
RICH McCORMICK, Georgia KATHY MANNING, North Carolina
JOHN JAMES, Michigan
Mary Vigil, Staff Director
Brandon Ramsey, Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
WITNESSES
Byamugisha, Obed, Program Advisor, Kyampisi Childcare Ministries. 9
Fullah, Miriam, Trafficking in Persons Protection Manager, World
Hope International............................................. 14
White, Dr. Alan, Co-Executive Director, Advocacy Foundation for
Human Rights................................................... 23
Aparo, Josephine, Founding Member, Global Survivor Network and
International Justice Mission.................................. 32
APPENDIX
Hearing Notice................................................... 52
Hearing Minutes.................................................. 54
Hearing Attendance............................................... 55
EFFORTS TO ADDRESS RITUAL ABUSE AND
SACRIFICE IN AFRICA
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
House of Representatives,
Subcommittee on Global Health, Global
Human Rights, and International
Organizations,
Committee on Foreign Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m., in
room 2200, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Christopher H.
Smithchairman of the subcommittee presiding.
Mr. Smith. The Subcommittee on Global Human Rights, Global
Health, and International Organizations will come to order.
And good morning to everyone.
Today we will examine the horrific crimes of ritual abuse
and sacrifice and discuss what the United States and the
international community must do to expose them to combat this
extreme violence. These horrific crimes are at times
trivialized or falsely portrayed as myths, rumors, or
misinformation, but they are very real.
Our distinguished witnesses today will bear witness to the
unthinkable physical and psychological agony committed against
innocent victims by witch doctors and human traffickers. I
would note parenthetically I first heard about many of these
practices on a trip to Lagos back in the year 2000.
While I was there--I was there on a human trafficking trip.
We had just passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and
I was shocked to hear how the juju men were putting women at
grave risk and telling them after a very horrible ritual that
if they do not conform to what the traffickers order them to do
they and their family members and friends would be horribly
injured, if not killed.
I heard it. I had not heard that before. I brought it back
to the TIP Office and raised it in several of our hearings as
something that we need also to be pushing hard against. And
this is the same, but even worse--not worse, but similar in
many ways, but this is directed at other outcomes.
Crimes of ritual abuse and sacrifice involve mutilating and
usually murdering victims to remove certain body parts, bodily
fluids or organs, for use in sadistic rituals. These rituals
are commonly ordered by people who believe that conducting
these horrific acts will somehow bring them wealth, health, or
other good fortune. Much of this abuse happens while the victim
is still alive, and without anesthesia, and many die afterward
from shock, pain, or blood loss.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, we know that these crimes are
especially prevalent around election seasons, with many--when
many children and adults go missing, never ever to be found, or
to be found dead and body parts missing. This is because, to
this day, some politicians use rituals to gain power.
Tragically, children and women are especially vulnerable to
this abuse and are particularly sought out by the perpetrators
of these crimes. Many rituals, abuse, or sacrifice of innocent
children, albino people, particularly albino children, are at
the very high risk of being kidnapped, trafficked, and abused
for the sake of certain rituals.
In Africa, it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of
children each year are victims of ritual attacks in some form.
It is absolutely unacceptable that these crimes continue to
occur, affecting so many vulnerable children and robbing them
of their futures. It is deeply disturbing that cases continue
to be underreported and inadequately addressed by law
enforcement.
Furthermore, ritual abuse and sacrifice is an especially
pernicious form of human trafficking that often involves the
trafficking of organs. Last Thursday our subcommittee had a
hearing specially focused on child trafficking, and we heard
from one of our witnesses, Jeanne Lakin, a survivor of both the
Rwandan genocide--matter of fact, she saw her father killed at
the age of 10 right in front of her; she was a Tutsi--and child
sex trafficking. That organ trafficking is especially prevalent
in the trafficking of children, but is so often overlooked.
Organ trafficking for use in rituals is a worldwide
phenomenon. However, traffickers even go so far as to set up
warehouses to sell human flesh. We must do more in our anti-
trafficking efforts to specifically address these heinous
crimes.
While we need to do--need to better understand what we can
and must do to end this egregious crime, this past March the
House voted 413 to 2 to approve legislation that I authored
known as the Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2023. The
bill, also co-sponsored by Chairman McCaul, Kathy Manning, Bill
Keating, French Hill, and others, does the following.
It amends the Foreign Assistance Act to require reports on
forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes
of removal of organs in foreign countries; the imposition of
serious sanctions on any person the President determines funds,
sponsors, or otherwise facilities forced organ harvesting or
trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs;
civil penalties that include up to $250,000; criminal penalties
that include up to $1 million and imprisonment for not more
than 20 years, or both; and sanctions that include blocking and
prohibiting all transactions in property and interest in
property; and making such persons inadmissible to the U.S. and
ineligible to receive a visa.
And we need to make sure that we do more on this particular
issue, which is exactly why we are having this hearing.
I want to thank our very impressive witnesses for joining
us today--I will introduce them formally in a moment--to
discuss this abuse. We are very thankful to have Dr. Alan
White, an expert on how and why these crimes are occurring,
especially in Western Africa. Dr. White, as I think all of us
know, served as the founding chief of investigations of the
United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, and his
experiences in Sierra Leone and Liberia have allowed him to
bring important attention to atrocity crimes and hold
perpetrators accountable.
We have also--it is essential to listen to the voices of
survivors and those who aid and help those survivors, so we
have very, very capable and knowledgeable experts, again, who I
will introduce just in a moment. But I thank them for their
voices, their strong voices, and their courage, in Ms. Fullah's
case especially, for speaking out.
I yield to my good friend, Ms. Wild, for opening comments.
Ms. Wild. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you very much
to our witnesses.
I believe that this hearing is a vital opportunity to
address all types of violence against children, not just across
the African continent and in certain contexts, but globally and
in every form. Violence against children, whether State-
sponsored, committed by armed groups, or conducted within
closed-off communities or even families, constitutes the most
egregious violation imaginable of our common humanity, dignity,
and principles.
Tragically, violence against children was exacerbated by
COVID-19 in many regions around the world. It continues to
reach staggering levels, including in what has been one of the
world's worst conflict zones for decades now, the Democratic
Republic of Congo.
A few days ago, on September 8, UNICEF's representative to
the DRC said, ``Violence against children in the Eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo has reached unprecedented levels.
There are few worse places, if any, to be a child. The country
has the world's highest number of U.N.-verified grave
violations against children in armed conflict.''
We must hear this alarm, and we must ask tough questions
about the lack of adequate protections to guard against the
global hunt for unfettered access to critical resources like
lithium that is fueling the violence in areas like the DRC.
I want to conclude by saying a few words about one of our
distinguished witnesses, Josephine Aparo. Her courage in the
face of unthinkable violence and hardship is a testament to the
extraordinary strength and resilience of the human spirit, as
is her subsequent commitment to advocating on behalf of
children, women, and families, who have also endured this kind
of violence and hardship.
Thank you so much for this work. Let us strive to be worthy
of her example by working to provide the needed levels of
resources and support to combat the intolerable scourge of
violence against children.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, thank you, and I yield back.
Mr. Smith. I say thank you to my good friend, the ranking
member, for her statement and leadership.
I will begin with the witnesses in the order that we would
request that they proceed, beginning first with Mr. Obed
Byamugisha, who is the program advisor for the Kyampisi
Childcare Ministries, where he has designed and managed
projects in all spheres of child protection.
He has 13 years of working experience as a technical
program advisor for child protection with humanitarian agencies
in Uganda that include the Kyampisi Childcare Ministries and
World Vision Uganda. He has designed and managed projects in
child protection, emergency, disaster, and war response.
He has coordinated the development of best practices for
prosecution-led trafficking and persons investigations in
Uganda, together with Human Trafficking Institute in 2020. And
he successfully inspired the development of the Trafficking in
Persons Prosecution Guidelines in September 2021.
We will then hear from Ms. Miriam Fullah, who is the
trafficking in persons protection manager for World Hope
International, where she works on anti-trafficking and gender-
based violence programs in Sierra Leone.
Ms. Fullah helped families--helps families and communities
support recovering trauma survivors. A psychosocial counselor,
she has served five organizations in Sierra Leone over 16
years, including World Hope for 11 years. Her recounting of
survivors' stories shows families, communities, and government
leaders how mental health affects us all.
Ms. Fullah informs communities, so they can create policies
that protect people at risk. She is an expert on protection
issues and how families can care for reintegrated survivors.
We will then hear from Dr. Alan White, who is co-executive
director of the Advocacy Foundation for Human Rights. Dr. White
is a retired U.S. Federal law enforcement senior executive,
where he served as director of investigations, Defense Criminal
Investigative Service, Office of Inspector General, U.S.
Department of Defense and was responsible for oversight of all
Defense Criminal Investigative Service's law enforcement
operations worldwide.
Dr. White has also served as a senior executive with the
United Nations-backed Special Court for Sierra Leone, where he
served as the chief of investigations responsible for directing
all war crimes and criminal investigations for the Office of
the Prosecutor concerning those bearing the greatest
responsibility for civil war in Sierra Leone.
His efforts led to multiple indictments and convictions,
including former Liberian president Charles Taylor, who was the
first sitting head of State indicted and convicted of war
crimes and receiving a 50-year sentence.
I will never forget the picture of Charles Taylor at The
Hague looking down and obviously depressed that all of his
horrific behavior had caught up to him, but none of that would
have happened without Dr. Alan White. He was tenacious, had
death threats against him, ongoing and every day, and yet he
persisted and did so much to bring justice, whatever justice
there is, because for the families of the lost ones there is no
justice. But he did put these people behind bars, and I cannot
thank him enough.
He is also a partner in BW Global Group, LLC, in
Washington, DC, where he works on issues such as human rights
violations, anti-corruption in government affairs, globally.
We will then hear from Ms. Josephine Aparo, who is a
founding member of the Global Survivor Network and
International Justice Mission. Ms. Aparo is a social worker
with a passion to serve women, children, and families, who have
survived violence. Josephine was orphaned as a young girl in
Northern Uganda, and she lived through two--a two-decade civil
war that tore apart her family and her country.
Her own story of struggle and triumph fuels her desire to
help other women stand strong. She is an after-care manager
with International Justice Mission, and of course IJM is well-
known to this committee going back to the very beginning when
we wrote the trafficking protection--Victims Protection Act.
IJM was right there on the ground helping us to write it. So
thank you for your work.
She is now on staff with International Justice Mission in
Ghana, where she supports child survivors of slavery on Lake
Volta.
I yield, first, to Mr.--to Obed for your--and use whatever
time you feel is appropriate.
STATEMENT OF OBED BYAMUGISHA, PROGRAM ADVISOR, KYAMPISI
CHILDCARE MINISTRIES
Mr. Byamugisha. Chairman Smith, High Ranking Member Wild,
and representatives on the committee, thank you for this
opportunity for me to present a hearing titled Efforts to End
Ritualistic Abuses and Sacrifices in Africa.
My name is Obed Byamugisha. I come from Uganda, which is in
Africa. I am here as a firsthand witness of what has been
happening, not only in Uganda but across Africa. I am one of
the first people who responded to this ritualistic abuse and
child sacrifices 13 years ago, and I have been fighting it all
through these years.
In my life, I have rescued more than 28 children directly,
those who were formerly abducted. And out of the 28, two of
them--they are boys--their private parts were cutoff
completely. And, unfortunately, some of the regrets I have is
that I have buried more children than those I have saved.
What is ritualistic abuse and sacrifice? Basically, this is
a practice that involves mutilation of body parts when the
human is still alive. Unlike other forms of violence, this is
the worst form of violence I have ever seen in my entire life.
I have worked in the refugee response to rescue unaccompanied
and separated children, managing projects under UNHCR. I have
worked in disaster under UNICEF to serve children and women and
men. I have never seen the worst form of violence like this
one.
It is different from trafficking because as we put
strategies of surveillance to rescue children with this one,
they are murdering people, mostly children who are targeted
from where they live, and they do not--they do not--survivors
or victims do not die instantly. Some of them even are
mutilated for over a period of 1 year.
What happens is that they target--the body parts that they
look out for are mostly the internal organs, the heart, the
liver. Mr. Chairman, I come--I came with photos and videos as
evidence for that. But what happens is that they cut out using
knives and machetes, and they open the body, especially the
stomach, and then they start to draw blood first. After drawing
blood, they start to remove each part that they want.
It is very traumatizing and gruesome, not only to the
victims, but to affected families, but also for us, the front-
line rescue team who goes to rescue people. In my entire life,
this is one of the most or the worst experience I have seen,
because I thought rescuing refugees was the worst, but rescuing
children--boys and girls--is the worst experience.
Chairman Smith, and Ranking Member Wild, and
representatives, I remember one of the children I have
rescued--I tried to rescue who died was a girl called Joy.
Communities gave me an alert, and I ran to rescue her. They had
cut her stomach, and they were draining blood.
When we reached there, I was driven on a motorcycle and I
held her in my hands. She grabbed my shirt very stiffly, and
she started telling me in a giggly voice ``I want to go to
school. I want to go to school.'' Like three times, and then
she passed on.
That did not stop of course from year 2010 to other years.
These cases have continued to escalate. There are many voices
that I have I have heard, and they are very traumatizing,
Chairman Smith.
In my country where I come in Uganda, it is reported that
on average a child is killed every week. If you go to countries
like Nigeria, it is worse. They are escalating at a high speed.
It is reported by the U.N. agencies. The annual reports have
actually provided statistics of some of these.
In Senegal, in Namibia, Switzerland, Liberia, Tanzania,
Zimbabwe, more than 30 countries, this issue is running very
fast, and the cause is basically, number 1, because of
superstitious practices practiced by witch doctors.
It is believed that human tissue, blood, and body parts
mixed with a potent concoction from a witch doctor can provide
special problems, including wealth, including marrying people
that they can be able to give birth, even to specific sexes of
children.
What is getting it up recently is politics and e-commerce.
In our countries, where we do elections, the death goes high.
In Uganda, there is a time when we are voting, and in 1 week 13
cases were reported, and I attended 9 burials out of 13. And
these children, they are underreported. Some of them are
invisible.
So in different parts of Africa--now elections are
commercialized. There are those who believe that for you to win
an election you have to give many children. As we celebrate
democratic elections, behind it there is blood that is shed,
and they are targeting the most innocent members of society,
most especially children who are very innocent.
The death rate currently for people, that is why I said it
is the worst. When I was still rescuing children in the war,
especially South Sudan and in Northern Uganda, who could have
higher numbers of those who survive, but with this one, when
they start to cut the body, 90 percent die. And even the 10
percent who survive, it is because some people have come to
their rescue. They die when they are trying to fight for life.
Chairman Smith, one of the worst experiences is hearing the
voice of a child trying to fight for life. We need to do
something because the cases are escalating higher.
The International Refugee--the International Committee of
Red Cross last year reported 64,000 cases of ritualistic
murder, and they--in Nigeria, and they say that over 14,000
actually are children.
Chairman Smith, just from Africa, an average primary school
has 5,000 children as an enrollment. If you divide this number
of children, it is equal to 13 schools. Just imagine if 13
schools--children in 13 schools disappeared in just 1 year, and
the reason is equated to ritualistic murder.
It would have been on the agenda of every leader if it had
happened, but these ones are underreported. They go invisible.
Of course we have had so many frustrations. We have cases
which go more than 10 years, 15 years, and children die. Their
mothers and fathers wait for justice, and they never get it.
The quest for justice is a long road, and it is a bumpy one, in
a sense that even as we have been fighting it myself, I have
survived death for so many years.
Sometimes the attackers--there is a time I was attacked at
night, and they nearly killed me. Why? Because we do not have
the legal--we have gaps in the legal regime in our countries.
There are no laws about addressing human sacrifice. And if you
look at even--it is not under the category of trafficking, so
we need to do something, because they attack children, they
murder them, they mutilate their bodies.
And if you look at the interventions now under trafficking,
it doesn't yet so far now highlight ritualistic murder as one
of the issues, yet a big number of children die.
The life of those who have survived is another horrible
journey. I have one survivor who was attacked when she was 2
years. She spent 1-1/2 years in the shrine. Every day they were
cutting her and drawing blood. She became disabled. Everything
is done in one place. She cannot even feed herself. She got a
mental problem, and she is fed. She is looked after like that.
There are even parents who have waited to see justice, and they
pass on when they have not seen justice.
In Africa, only Uganda is where we have drafted a law to
address human ritualistic sacrifices, and that law, I drafted
it and worked with my government. But when you look at West
Africa, they are struggling.
This is a high and organized crime that sometimes even
people in government are actually highly involved, people in
security. That is why families find it hard to receive justice.
Last month I was working with one of the mothers who lost
her 6-year-old. She discovered the remains after the body had--
it was so many as we found the bodies. She said that ``I will
never bury my daughter until I receive justice.'' So she
wrapped the bones. She wrapped the bones in the cloth. I tried
to convince her that we should give Sara a peaceful sendoff.
She said, ``Never. Until I receive justice.'' But one time we
were at court, she asked me, ``Who can ever hear our cries and
help us?''
I thank the committee today that you have given me the
opportunity, because in my heart there are many voices of those
who did not make it here, those that I have gone for their last
burial.
Chairman and ranking members, the practice--the ritualistic
abuse, child sacrifices, has penetrated our communities. And
these are some of the appeals I want to put forward to the
committee.
Number 1, if we could have these ritualistic abuse and
child sacrifices put under the category of trafficking, it will
galvanize all of us to one common voice to address them.
Addressing the issues of harmful practices, especially
superstitious belief, requires everyone, like the mother who
wrapped her--the bones of her daughter, she is waiting for
justice.
So many others in different parts of Africa, in Benin,
Nigeria, they have seen the body parts of their children. They
cut their arms, their legs. Last month I received a case. A boy
was tied at the back, the hands were tied at the back, and the
legs, and then they started cutting different pieces of the
boy. So by the time we came, we found the head off. There are
many children we have buried without body parts.
So how can the trafficking--ritualistic murder and the
trafficking can help?
Number 2, we need funding efforts to address this
escalating at the highest speed, like I said during elections,
during festival season, there are many children. Now we are in
September. Parents begin to get worried in October/November,
because during the festival season in December the death goes
high, the death rate goes high. Remember, I said very few
survive. So we need funding for interventions that can address
these vices.
Then, the other is we need to amend the trafficking--the
Trafficking of Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, so that
we can--as a severe form of human trafficking.
Then, the other is we need--we require TIP country reports
to break out ritualized murder, ritualistic murder for the
purposes of organ harvesting. And then we need to implement a
zero tolerance policy, Chairman.
This is a lot of aid that goes through to our States.
However, there is a problem of political will. In the midst of
the countries, like I said, only one has enacted a law to
address this. But if we could draft a zero tolerance policy it
could help to a certain degree.
We can even direct USAID funding toward prevention
efforts--prevention--because the victims--we have so many
victims, but some of them are almost--they cannot help
themselves. Some of them have become adults. We have carried
them in wheelchairs.
I have told you about two boys I have--we are caring for
who have no private parts. They were totally cut. One of them
was able to get plastic surgery to help him. It is a horrible
experience.
Then, we need incentive. We need to sensitize everyone, and
we need to help our governments, so that they are able to
provide a better legal regime that is very protective, so that
we have laws that can be used to even implicate the culprits.
Societies grow based on the way they protect their children.
And, Chairman Smith, there are things sometimes which
cannot wait, especially from our communities. Sometimes we
cannot even wait to build schools, so that we do lifesaving,
because schools are meant for the children, and who are
actually being killed. Then our societies are not able to grow.
I want to thank you very much for giving me this
opportunity, for listening to me. My role was to give the voice
of children. We have lost so many. We really need to stop this,
and together we can.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Byamugisha follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Smith. Thank you, Obed, for that very, very powerful
testimony and for your recommendations and for just bringing
this committee fully up to date on what you have seen and the
rescues you have effectuated, and also the horror of hearing
those voices cry.
Thank you.
Ms. Fullah?
STATEMENT OF MIRIAM FULLAH, TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS PROTECTION
MANAGER, WORLD HOPE INTERNATIONAL
Ms. Fullah. Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Wild, and
distinguished members of the committee, my name is Miriam
Fullah, and I thank you for this opportunity to testify before
you today on this all-important subject of torturing and
trafficking children for the purpose of ritualized murder and
sacrifice.
I am here today as a firsthand witness and as a person who
has been speaking out boldly against the torture and ill
treatment of children in Sierra Leone for over a decade. I
directly worked with victims of trafficking, mostly children,
as a counselor and presently as the protection manager for
World Hope International in Sierra Leone. As the protection
manager, I oversee the only specialized shelter for trafficking
survivors, mostly females, in Sierra Leone.
In February 2012, World Hope's anti-trafficking program
opened the Trafficking in Persons Recovery Centre for survivors
of human trafficking with funding from the Office to Monitor
and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of
State. Still operational today, the center provides holistic
and comprehensive aftercare to survivors with the ultimate goal
of reintegrating them into a healthy Sierra Leonean society.
The program intends to interrupt the violent exploitation
cycle of human trafficking, including sex and labor
trafficking, as well as trafficking for the purpose of organ
trafficking and ritual murder.
The survivors we serve are human trafficking victims who
were able to come out of the abuse alive. This is not so for
those who lost their lives because another human being thinks
they can only achieve their dreams for prosperity and healing
by harvesting the body parts of another human. This is also
human trafficking, and we have served some survivors of this
type of exploitation at the center.
In this part of the world where I live, the rights of
people are often violated with impunity, but this happens more
so to children who are considered personal property of their
families. The protection of children is mostly left in the
hands of parents or communities.
The government has signed many treaties, including the
Child Rights Act, but the government and people who are
supposed to act or hold people accountable for such heinous
crimes often pay lip service to this all-important subject.
I am testifying behind the screen today because I will be
labeled as a person bringing a bad name to my country and
knowing fully well what the consequences might be. I am willing
to do this because families, mostly impoverished ones, are
seeking answers and want justice for their loved ones. I want
to be the voice of mothers, being one myself.
If Sierra Leone is not safe for children, then mine are
also not safe. This subject is a no-go area, even for the so-
called educated and enlightened families--and enlightened.
Families who have been affected are mostly impoverished and are
left to grieve silently, if not for one human rights non-
governmental organization making a loud noise about it.
I am speaking out today because I am a mother, and I fear
for the safety of my children.
Organ harvesting and child sacrifice in Sierra Leone are
mostly linked to ritual murder. A child will be kidnapped from
school or in their community and will be handed over to a
native doctor who will--who will typically take the child into
deserted areas where they will be killed. They will mostly
harvest organs like their private parts, breasts, tongues, and
intestines.
Children, especially girls, are mostly vulnerable, because
sometimes the native doctor will demand the blood of a virgin.
This was exactly what happened in the story I am about to
share.
I am present here today with a survivor that I have worked
with closely, and recently--it is only recently she gave her
consent for her story to be shared.
Marie--not her real name--was only 8 years when she was
brutally raped by her mother's boyfriend, whom she considered a
father. He had built a huge house he wanted to rent out, but
was particular about--but was particular about who the tenant
should be. He wanted a rich individual or a big organization to
rent the property. He waited for 2 years for his preferred
tenants, but none showed up. He believed that this was due to
bad luck.
Desperate for answers, he sought out the help of a native
doctor who told him that for him to attract such favors he
would need to shed the blood of a virgin. Distinguished--during
his trial, which I attended to support Marie, this perpetrator
testified in court that he wanted her to die, but thought of
the relationship he had with the mother.
So instead of having her killed, he raped her in this
building until she was bleeding profusely. He was indeed able
to spill the blood of a virgin, all in the name of attracting
favors.
Marie was lucky to be alive, but she still suffers
emotionally up to today, years after the ritual abuse. Marie's
mother recently suffered a stroke, which she believes to be a
result of post-traumatic stress disorder related to the abuse
of her daughter. What this perpetrator did was not only a
heinous crime, but it is forbidden culturally, since a man is
not supposed to have sexual intimacy with both a mother and the
child.
Marie was able to get justice because an organization like
World Hope International was supporting this family through the
process of getting justice, taking her to multiple court
sessions and helping to expose the bribes that the perpetrator
offered the mother, if she, in a quest for justice--she
persisted in a quest for justice, and I was glad to be by her
side for the duration.
The perpetrator was ultimately sentenced to 15 years in
prison. However, this is not the case for many others. It is
for these others that I stand here today.
And, Chairman Smith and distinguished members of the
committee, it is worth to note that today we are focusing on
children, while the oldest survivor we have worked with is a
54-year-old woman, and she was particularly targeted because
the ritualist wanted this person to rape a woman in menopause
until she bleeds.
So it is not only particular to children. Adults, women,
and children are also facing this same crime.
The issue of child sacrifice and organ harvesting is so
shrouded in secrecy that getting data on this all-important
issue is challenging. Data generally in Sierra Leone is
challenging to obtain, but even more so for this issue. Ritual
murders are mostly prosecuted in court under murder generally,
but not in relation to it being a ritual, so it is hard to get
data including the extent of the crime.
But based on our data, we have been able to work with seven
families. Fortunately, one of the survivors was rescued from
the house of the ritualist. These are some of the few who are
fortunate to be alive.
People are more vigilant to these types of crimes when
events like national and chieftaincy elections are approaching.
This fear is legitimate because people running for elections
will go to great lengths, including paying for rituals, to gain
favorable election outcomes. During these election seasons,
even school authorities put in measures to help protect
children.
For example, they would like a particular person to pick up
the child and present the child's identification card before
the child can be picked up from school. If they have concerns,
they will not allow for the child to be picked up except by the
designated person.
People are mostly afraid to speak out because it is
believed, and mostly the case, that crimes like these are
committed by the rich and powerful, mostly politicians or by
people with strong political affiliations. Families, especially
those who have loved ones to this crime, are not willing to
pursue justice, because for them going through the long and
delayed court process will not be beneficial. In part, it is
not seen as beneficial because after the expense and time
spent, even if they do get a conviction, they can no longer get
what they really want--their loved ones back with them.
It is for all of these reasons that I was willing to travel
thousands of miles for the first time in my 46 years of life to
speak the truth for those who care to listen, hoping that it
will not fall on deaf ears. Even if taking the necessary steps
will save one child, it will have made it worth it.
Let's put aside all bureaucracies and our hidden agendas to
fight this heinous crime. We can no longer be quiet.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Fullah follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Smith. Thank you so very much, and thank you for your
bravery in coming forward. And we do hope that the semi-
seclusion that you have here at this hearing, I mean, we fully
understand the risk you are taking. So thank you for that
courage.
Ms. Fullah. Thank you.
Mr. Smith. I would like to now yield to Dr. Alan White such
time as he may consume.
STATEMENT OF DR. ALAN WHITE, CO-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ADVOCACY
FOUNDATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Dr. White. Thank you. First of all, I would like to thank
Chairman Smith and Ranking Member Wild, and the other
distinguished members of the subcommittee, for holding this
very important hearing. It is long overdue.
I also want to publicly commend Congressman Smith, who I
have known for over 20 years, for his tireless efforts and
unwavering efforts in seeking justice and accountability for
countless victims of human rights violations from around the
globe.
You provide a voice that otherwise would go unheard and a
platform to those victims who have suffered and continue to
suffer with no one to turn to. Your steadfast support is
globally recognized and very much needed in these troubled
times we live in and where so many atrocities are being
committed around the world.
As the co-executive director of the Advocacy Foundation for
Human Rights, we target human rights violators that are engaged
in public corruption and human rights violations, and we seek
justice and accountability for those victims of such
atrocities.
We are actively engaged in conducting investigations and
compiling information about those individuals who are
committing ritualistic killings, especially in Liberia. The
foundation has received disturbing information about the
frequency of such killings and the allegations linking it to
the Executive Mansion, the Office of the President, and other
high-ranking members and government officials.
Details of these atrocities are difficult to obtain.
Sources to the foundation are endangered just by speaking out,
and I will discuss this later in my testimony.
Over the past 20 years, I have been actively engaged in
seeking justice and accountability for victims of human rights
violations and conducting criminal investigations and war
crimes investigations, including crimes against humanity on the
continent of Africa, most specifically West Africa.
The Special Court for Sierra Leone, where I worked, was
established to investigate and prosecute those who bear the
greatest responsibility for the civil war in Sierra Leone,
which lasted from March 1991 to January 2002, and resulted in
the deaths of over 70,000 people. Our investigations led us to
neighboring Liberia, who suffered two civil wars. The first was
from December 1989 to August 1997, and then again they
rekindled from 1999 to 2003 where over 250,000 Liberians were
killed.
While serving as the chief of investigations, I witnessed
and investigated some of the most horrific and unspeakable
human rights violations no one could ever imagine that someone
could inflict on another human being. The horrors of civil war
are always tragic. However, to see those involved in the
commission of killing and torturing another human being by
engaging in ritualistic activities was something I had never
seen before and, quite frankly, prepared to deal with.
Yet shortly after I arrived in Freetown, Sierra Leone, I
recall in August 2007 a news story where a 70-year-old man
seeking to become a paramount chief of a local village, a
political position in a traditional system of local government
and an integral element of governance, was convicted of a
ritualistic killing.
I learned quickly that ritualistic killings were
commonplace, particularly in West Africa. This story reported
the man seeking to become a paramount chief believed in black
magic, and in order to get elected he needed to sacrifice a
young child, and, in this case, it was a 9-year-old boy, for
800,000 leones, which is roughly $160 U.S., from his family,
who was desperate for money.
Reportedly, he gruesomely killed the 9-year-old boy by
slitting his throat and removing his liver and taking some
blood to local witch doctors in the neighboring country of
Guinea where they would use in making a liquid concoction he
could drink and give him what is known, as we have heard
before, juju.
This was a term I learned later meant power and used in
ritualistic killings by rebels fighting in the civil wars, both
in Sierra Leone and in Liberia. Surprisingly, I learned the
ritual killings or human sacrifices to local deities were
customary in parts of West Africa, where some people commission
killings to obtain body parts for magic spells to gain
political power and influence.
Early on during my criminal investigations of war crimes
and crimes against humanity, I heard routinely about
ritualistic killings involving various rebel groups and the
warring factions in Sierra Leone, which included the
Revolutionary United Front, the Armed Forces Revolutionary
Council, and the Civil Defense Force.
The war started in Kailahun, so we started our
investigations in that part of the country where we uncovered
numerous mass graves, and in most cases victims were civilians,
and including children. Their identities were mostly unknown,
although some names were given. However, our witness
interviews--that the RUF were identified primarily as the
alleged perpetrator.
There were several causes of death of the victims.
Reportedly, they were locked in houses and burnt. In many
cases, it was because of ritual human sacrifices for
protection, and gunshot wounds and knife wounds. One of our
witnesses I recall involved a female ex-child combatant, who
advised that ritual killings were routinely practiced on enemy
fighters or on civilians, including children.
Sadly, the rebels from various warring factions would boast
about killing their enemy, many of which were young child
soldiers, and eating their heart, drinking their blood, eating
other body parts, claiming they received extra power from doing
so.
Sadly, this practice continues today in Sierra Leone, and
surges during election periods, which you have heard from my
colleagues, where people running for office believe that
sacrificing a person, mostly younger boys and girls because it
is believed that the younger they are, the more power they get.
The Voice of America in Freetown in 2012 reported on the
so-called ritual murders during an election time have been part
of African society for centuries. In Sierra Leone, some believe
ritual murders increase during election time because some
politicians think they will gain political power from others'
human body parts.
In October 2021, a senior government official who reported
directly to the president of Sierra Leone was indicted for an
attempted ritual murder of six virgin girls in Freetown. The
chief minister in Sierra Leone has been accused of forcing a
primary school teacher to kidnap six virgin schoolgirls for
ritualistic purposes.
Fortunately, the plot was foiled when one of the
whistleblowers came forward and reported it to police, which
led to the chief minister's arrest and indictment. However, he
was released from custody while the investigation continued,
and to date no prosecution has occurred.
During the 14-year Liberian civil war, from 1989 to 2003,
there were so many cases of gunmen, some of them child
soldiers, eating their victims' hearts and other body parts, so
much so that the Catholic Church issued a formal denunciation
of these practices, which was documented in the published book
from Stephen Ellis, The Mask of Anarchy.
It is well documented that during the civil wars in Liberia
that ritual killings were commonplace, and one of the most
notorious rebels engaged in such horrific acts, his name was
Milton Blahyi, also known as General Butt Naked, a feared rebel
commander who fought in the Liberian civil war.
He testified before the Liberian Truth and Reconciliation
Commission where ``I publicly ate children's hearts'' and
admitted to taking part in human sacrifices as traditional
ceremoneys intended to ensure victory in battle. He also told
BBC his forces had killed over 20,000 people.
During the first civil war from 1989 to 1996, there were
other reports about Charles Taylor and their rebels' accounts
reportedly forming a group of cannibals called the Top 20, of
which he was a member. Reportedly, the group comprised of
Taylor and 16 rebels of his known army group called the
National Patriotic Front for Liberia engaged in human
sacrifices in Taylor's house.
The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Administration, during her 12
years from 2006 to 2018 in office, was plagued with ritual
killings. And despite vows to bring an end, they continued. The
same problems continue under the current President George
Manneh Weah Administration. And unlike Sirleaf, there were no
insiders reporting on her direct involvement with ritual
killings. However, we have received information that the
current Administration has been linked to the ritual killing of
children.
Sources advise us that the police are only allowed to
investigate these matters in a conspicuous or very superficial
manner, as not to get too close involved. Also, because of the
high-level links to the government, it is taboo to say anything
about it; otherwise, you could be the next victim.
One of the most notable allegations of ritualistic killings
involve the mysterious disappearance of three young men who
were hired by a proprietor of the St. Moses Funeral Parlor to
undertake a task in Bong County. On 17 October 2020, Robert
Blamo, Siafa Boimah, and Bobby Gbeanquoi, were reported drowned
in a river in Fuama district, lower Bong County, when a canoe
they allegedly--a canoe that they were allegedly riding
capsized while returning to their homes.
They were hired to do a piece of work, small piece of work,
called a piece of job, by a mining company owned and operated
by Mr. Moses Ahoussouhe. He was the owner of the St. Moses
Funeral Parlor, and his partner, Mr. Abraham S. Samuels.
It was reported by Mr. Ahoussouhe that the three young men
were drowned. The bodies were retrieved by him and never
returned to the parents. He has close ties to the president and
the government of Liberia, and through the Ministry of Justice,
who he has contacts with, they have failed to provide an update
or release the outcome of the investigation or a report on the
circumstances that led to the conclusion they drowned. Why did
not they release the bodies?
The aggrieved families believe their children are being
kept in a sacred place to be used for alleged ritualistic
purposes. The family members sought the assistance of the
international community, including the U.S. Embassy and United
Nations.
As a result, on December 10, 2021, the United Nations
issued a public statement. A human rights expert today called
on the Liberian government to promptly investigate a series of
killings that have occurred this year, some of which have been
reportedly linked to ritual practices.
At least 10 people have been killed in unclear
circumstances in 2021, including five in September, reportedly
with suspected links to ritualistic practices or political
motivations. According to the information received by the
special rapporteur, Morris Tidball-Binz, three of the most
recent victims were either former officials or had links to
high-profile former politicians.
Even a recent death of some girls involved in a political
campaign held by the president's party, CDC, sparked outrage by
the citizens and allegations that their deaths were done for
ritualistic reasons. The local headlines in a local newspaper
said, ``Liberia--Citizens to President Weah: No ritual can help
you from leaving office after the elections.''
On August 24, 2023, the New Dawn News reported several
residents of Montserrado County have told incumbent President
Weah that no amount of alleged human sacrifice, ritual, and
money can prevent him and the coalition of his organization,
Coalition of Democratic Change, from leaving office. We want
President Weah to know that no amount of human sacrifice and
money can help in this election. These were potential voters in
Montserrado County.
Our foundation will continue to work on this issue and
applauds the work of this committee and its members. We hope
this hearing will shed a bright light on a very dark issue
plaguing many African countries, and especially Liberia, who
experienced this despicable crime against humanity during war
and in peace, yet it doesn't stop.
These involved need to be exposed and prosecuted for these
heinous crimes. The killing must stop, and we hope that your
legislation can effect change and stop the madness once and for
all.
So we hope that you can codify your recommendations into
law and make this become a publicly known issue. And our
foundation will continue to work with you and this committee in
seeking justice and accountability for the victims of these
horrific crimes.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Dr. White follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Smith. Dr. White, thank you so very much for all of
your past work, which has led to so many convictions of war
crimes, war criminals, and your ongoing work to protect the
innocent.
Thank you.
I would like to now yield such time as she may wish to take
to Ms. Josephine Aparo.
STATEMENT OF JOSEPHINE APARO, FOUNDING MEMBER, GLOBAL SURVIVOR
NETWORK AND INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSION
Ms. Aparo. Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Wild, and other
members, thank you for this opportunity. Chairman Smith, I also
want to recognize your leadership in combating human
trafficking.
My name is Josephine Aparo. I work with International
Justice Mission in Ghana. I am a survivor of violence and war.
I am a founding member of the Global Survivor Network, a
movement of international leaders advocating for safety in our
communities.
I grew up in Uganda surrounded by violence during the 21-
year-long war. One night--I was 11--I remember a loud crashing
sound. The door was being kicked in. I opened my eyes to a tip
of a machine gun. A rebel soldier stood over me. I froze in
fear.
My grandmother pleaded with the soldier. She lied. This
child carries a sickness. He left. And I woke up to an empty
village. They had taken every child, and I was the only one
left.
For our safety, my family moved to a camp for internally
displaced people. But even there women and children were raped.
Machetes and rocks were used to kill people.
I chose to become a social worker because of that violence.
I believe no child should suffer like this. Today I wish to
expand our discussion beyond ritual abuse or sacrifice. Our
fight is against violence, and my desire--our desire--is to
protect our children.
At International Justice Mission, we work with local
authorities to strengthen justice systems to protect people
living in poverty from violence in Uganda, Kenya, and Ghana. I
specifically work with child survivors of labor trafficking in
Ghana. Many of these children are lured away with the promise
of a good job or the hope of going to school. Instead, they
find themselves at the mercy of their traffickers.
One such survivor is John. John was very little when he was
trafficked onto Lake Volta in Ghana. Day after day, he was
starved and beaten. One day he was struggling to untangle a net
underwater. Every time he came up for air his boat master kept
hitting him. John's forehead split open and blood ran down his
face. The boat master left John in the water shivering,
bleeding. All night he struggled to stay afloat. Finally, a
passing fishing boat rescued him the next day.
John is one example among many. Numerous children are
exploited and trafficked, left to die, because they are
disposable. I know we are here in Washington, DC, and children
like John can seem so far away. But I encourage you--children
are children everywhere, and they deserve to be safe.
This is a fight to protect children from violence. We have
a choice. We can either ignore it as a problem far away or we
can choose to act, so that children are protected from
violence.
In this regard, I have four recommendations. First, invest
in programs to reform children's justice systems. U.S. funding
helps transform justice systems for people like John and helps
to end exploitation. Especially invest in trainings and remove
barriers to report abuse.
Second, the U.S. should consider developing a child
protection compact agreement with Kenya to combat child sexual
exploitation, following the successful model in Ghana, which
has increased anti-trafficking efforts. Kenya is a hotspot for
trafficking with low reporting rates, but this can be changed.
Third, include survivors in policy discussions and expand
the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to include
global experts with lived experience. If you remove the
requirement that council members be a U.S. citizen or legal
resident, you can gain survivor expertise from around the
world.
Finally, please reauthorize the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act to maintain pressure of U.S. influence in
combating trafficking worldwide. It is almost 2 years since the
previous authorization expired, and I urge you to promote the
passage of this key legislation.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Aparo follows:]
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Mr. Smith. Thank you so very much, Ms. Aparo. Thank you
all. Just a few points on your recommendations, and I thank you
for them.
Later this week I will be reintroducing the reauthorization
of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. And thank you, Mr.
Obed--thank you, Obed, and thank you, Dr. White.
We do have language in it that says this--in terms of now
including this terrible crime of ritualistic murders, this
includes practices involving the killing, mutilation, and
removal of organs or body parts of a person for sale or for
purposes of--purpose of witchcraft rituals or any harmful
practices.
So we have taken--thank you for that insight, that advice.
We will introduce it this week, and it is--you know, we did
pass it. I want to note for the record Karen Bass and I did a
full reauthorization 2 years ago. It did pass the House in a
totally bipartisan way and then sat in the Senate for a very
long time.
So we are going to try to--the good news is--and I think
many people understand this, you certainly understand it,
without reauthorization, the programs continue via the
appropriations process. So we have lost nothing, but we have
not gained new provisions, like this one that we are going to
add with regard to ritual killings.
So I think it is important that we do the reauthorization,
but only if you have some additional things. I mean, that makes
it much more important, and we do have additional provisions.
So I thank you for that.
I do want to thank Obed. You know, you briefed us, along
with some wonderful people who are here, some of them, from
World Hope and for the work you did with regards to making my
staff and I further sensitive to this issue. You know, I had
heard about it. I know there were U.N. resolutions on it at the
U.N. Human Rights Council. But even there they call it alleged.
You know, there is always that wiggle room that, is it really
happening or not?
And you have driven home the point that not only is this
happening, it seems to be getting worse in some areas. And of
course for any child or even 50-plus-year-old, a person who
gets abused like this, this is insane, that it has been
allowed.
And so just a couple of questions, but we are--we did
include the language in our reauthorization which we will be
dropping this week. And my hope is that it will be on the--and
I will respectfully ask that it be on the markup for October
for the Foreign Affairs Committee, so there is no--you know,
there is no more delay.
I do also like the other ideas that were suggested, too,
here, which we will put as part of the record from the World
Hope, stop child sacrifice, for the great work that they are
doing. But there are several recommendations to us.
And I do believe if the TIP report and the data calls that
go out from the TIP office and from the secretary of State of
course from the Ambassador at large aggressively are asking for
this information, we will then--it becomes them part of the
information that we are trying to clean from every country. It
then becomes information that could lead to a Tier 3 rating,
which means sanctions on that country.
So it will really I hope more quickly make all of the
countries that are allowing or even promoting this terrible
abuse to know there is a penalty. You are going to be
sanctioned. And we do have the mechanism for it with the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Let's now use it.
So thank you. You know, this is where informed and
articulate and above all absolutely committed people make all
the difference, and we do listen. We do listen to the people
who have been traumatized, too. That is something that goes
back 25 years with me and others that--I mean, if you do not
listen to the victims and the people who are helping the
victims, you will get it wrong. And so we have listened with
very, very attentive ears and learned from you, so thank you
for that.
Just, you know, Dr. White, you had mentioned that Weah is
linked to ritual killings. It was in the middle of your
testimony. To me, it jumped off the page as to, you know, no
politician who thinks they can glean power--supernaturally I
guess--from doing this should go--should not go unaddressed,
and they should not--there should be accountability for that
kind of abuse.
And, as you said, you saw it with Charles Taylor and the
Top 20 and some of the other things you mentioned in terms of
abuse. This needs to be fully exposed.
Now, the U.N. has done resolutions at the Human Rights
Council. But, again, even there they--and I am glad they did,
but they do say ``alleged,'' and they use words like that to
suggest that it may not be clear that it is actually happening.
And from your testimoneys, it couldn't be more clear. So maybe
you can speak to that.
I would ask, you know, we do have varying numbers. You
know, the U.N. independent expert that said that there is
20,000 victims of this, is that order of magnitude what the
numbers are? Obed, you might want to speak to that.
And then I have some other questions, but I will yield to
my colleagues, and then come back.
Dr. White.
Dr. White. Sure. Thank you, Congressman Smith. There is a
lot of public information that has been reported on the
ritualistic killings from whistleblowers to, you name it, the
people who have been tortured over there. Our foundation,
because of the work that we have done on the continent for 20
years, continues to receive significant and, sadly enough,
alarming news about the links to the current Administration
there.
It is very difficult to get specific information simply
because these people that are known to report do end up being
dead. So we are continuing to do that. We would like to work
with your committee as we get more specifics on it. But the
elections are coming up October 10. There have been alarming
reported rates of these types of ritualistic killings, and they
are not just children. And there are some linked to the
president's party that is ongoing right now.
And I would hope--I know this is the House, but I would
hope that during the confirmation hearing of the new
Ambassador, Mark Toner, that these questions come up about
ritualistic killings and what is the U.S. policy, what do we
plan on doing about it, because it is no secret.
This has been going on since the day I arrived in Sierra
Leone, and it occurs all over Africa. It is just,
unfortunately, a majority of it that we have been able to
report on includes in West Africa, but we know it occurs in
Uganda, Nigeria, and certainly Sierra Leone and Liberia.
But I think exposure and the prosecution of these people is
absolutely critical. As you heard one example, the chief
minister that reported directly to President Bio in Sierra
Leone, because it was publicly reported, he was arrested,
indicted, but then released, and nothing has ever happened. The
same thing happens in Liberia. Prosecutions go nowhere. So I
think that should be the focus in my opinion.
Mr. Byamugisha. Chairman Smith, Ranking--High Ranking
Member Wild, and members, the statistics of course in our--in
all African countries, cases of ritualistic abuse and
sacrifices are underreported. And the statistics is not
actually adequate, but of course there are some figures already
which have been calculated by different agencies.
Like I highlighted, one of it is the United States
Department country report on human rights practices for African
countries 2020, which highlighted cases reported in different
countries in West Africa. I also talked about the International
Committee of the Red Cross, which has actually highlighted
64,000 cases of disappearing persons across Africa, and only in
Nigeria alone over 25 people, and 14,000 and more are children.
I talked about Uganda where it is reported that on average
a child is killed a week. But when it comes to festival season
and times of election, the cases double, triple.
So, the other thing is what we talked about is just
because, like I said, ritualistic abuse and sacrifices are not
yet part of trafficking. So even the reporting itself is still
a challenge. So if we can categorize this and make it clear in
the TIP report, more statistics will actually come out.
Thank you, Chair.
Mr. Smith. Ms. Wild?
Ms. Wild. Thank you. I just want to thank each of the
witnesses individually for their commitment to this and for
being the voice of children.
Mr. Byamugisha--I hope I did not botch that too badly--I
really appreciate the fact that you have taken on the
responsibility of being a voice for the children. I cannot even
imagine the emotional scars that you have from doing this kind
of work. It is hard even to listen to, let alone to live it as
you have, and to do so much live-saving, in many cases, work
and in other cases the sad work of, you know, burying these
children.
Ms. Fullah, as I understand it from your testimony, you
traveled here from Sierra Leone, first travel to the United
States ever in your life. She is nodding assent. Thank you for
making that extraordinary trip to tell these stories.
And, Ms. Aparo, thank you for telling your own devastating
story. I thank you for expanding the discussion to include all
violence against children and for expanding the scope of our
inquiry.
And finally, Dr. White, thank you for your long commitment
to fighting against war crimes and promoting human rights and
against corruption, which sadly seems to be a recurring
pattern--the corruption I am referring to--in countries where
this is prevalent.
I have to say, just at the outset, this is a difficult
subcommittee to serve on. There is almost never anything that
is uplifting about the testimoneys that we hear at our various
hearings. We get a few moments of uplifting when we are told
the story of a survivor or people doing good work, as all of
you are, but ultimately the foundation for what the
subcommittee does is very, very difficult to listen to.
But I feel very, very strongly that we, as Americans, and
especially as American elected officials, despite our own many
domestic problems have an obligation to hear and see human
rights abuses and suffering around the world. I do not think
that we, as a country, can claim the mantle of being a world
leader and the most powerful country in the world unless we use
our resources and, quite frankly, our privilege to fight
against the exploitation of all humans around the world, and
especially children. I feel fervently about that, and that is
what keeps me going on this subcommittee, despite the
challenges.
I will tell you that I recently traveled to Kenya. I
visited the refugee resettlement camp at Kakuma in northwestern
Kenya, which was a difficult visit because it is--essentially
it is 500,000 people who are refugees from other African
countries. Originally, it was primarily Sudan, but now the
refugees are from many countries, most of which are war-torn
countries.
And I also spent an hour or so while I was there with a
large group of unaccompanied children, all of whom, by the way,
appeared to be in very good spirits and playing with--and they
had playground equipment and that kind of thing. They were very
young, and they were still I think in that--the initial stages
of being happy to be somewhere, even without their parents,
where they were safe and fed and able to play with other
children.
And even as it--and I shed a lot of tears that day at
Kakuma. But even as I shed those tears, I realized that as
difficult and heart-wrenching as their stories were, in many
ways they were the lucky ones because they had gotten out of
countries such as you have described.
And you know what? As a parent myself, I often think, how
can any parent turn their child over to somebody to take them
to a better place or a safer place? But I understand, you know.
When I hear the testimony that you have given, I can imagine
feeling as though that is the only recourse for the protection
of your child. And it is, needless to say, just--it really is
very, very difficult to process.
And after Kenya, I went on to Nepal where we studied human
trafficking and forced labor, but also were able to see a lot
of good work being done by U.S. agencies, but even more so
NGO's that are supporting the survivors of human trafficking.
Very impressed with their work, but I left Nepal with a sense
of urgency and commitment to supporting these NGO's and the
U.S. Government agencies who have dedicated themselves to the
prevention of these tragedies and the support of the survivors.
But I also left with somewhat of a sense of pessimism
that--and I am not a pessimistic person. I am generally an
optimistic person. And my pessimism was born of the long-
ingrained caste system in Nepal that essentially relegates
many, many people to lives of poverty, which of course is often
part of the root of this. And I bring that up because I have
the same sort of feeling today as I listen to you, this--that I
want--I will do everything I possibly can, and I pledge that to
you, and we will on this subcommittee.
But I still have this underlying sense that these
ritualistic acts have their genesis in long-held beliefs and
tradition and cultures, which unfortunately have permeated many
of the governments in question. And that makes it really hard
to combat, when you are fighting against centuries-old
traditions and cultures.
Having said that, as hard as it is to fight, doesn't mean
that we shouldn't. And I think we have an obligation, an
absolute obligation in the name of the children, to continue to
bring forth evidence such as we have heard today. And I really
thank you all for what you have done.
I just--your testimony--your collective testimony has been
so expansive there are almost no questions needed. But I am
going to try to formulate one or two questions to see what we
might do that is more effective.
And, Ms. Aparo, I would like to ask you specifically--we
know--we have heard from you and others, and I have seen it
with my own eyes, that violence against children takes place
across the globe and in all types of situations. Poverty is
almost always the one common denominator.
So I guess now I am looking for one of those uplifting
moments that we rarely get. Are there any examples of
substantial progress that you can tell us about anywhere in the
world, Africa or elsewhere, that you would like to highlight?
And by that I mean programs that have worked or that are
showing signs of being--of working, governments that have been
more responsive, and ways in which the U.S. has interacted with
those governments, perhaps bringing about some change. And any
kinds of comment you would like to make on things that have
worked or you see them working.
Ms. Aparo. Thank you, Representative Wild. I think that in
Ghana where I work we have a lot of women and men who are
really committed to preventing children from suffering this
horrific violence. However, the only challenge that they have
is the resources they need to be able to do the work that they
are supposed to do because they are underresourced.
I want to let this House know that we are working with
survivors to raise awareness and use their voices to actually
talk about this crime, so that people understand, and they are
moving government officials to take action to end child
trafficking. And so I believe that there is hope, because now
communities are being empowered. Parents who claim that it is
because of poverty, that is why they are giving their children
out for trafficking, are now beginning to understand that it is
a crime to do that.
And so survivors are using their voices to raise awareness
in their community, and we are beginning to see change. We are
seeing survivors reporting cases to government officials. We
are seeing police recording cases of abuse. We are seeing the
justice system act. The only challenge that we have is the
underresourced, and I would strongly recommend that there
should be a commitment in giving more funds to the justice
system units who are responsible for protecting children from
violence.
Thank you.
Ms. Wild. Thank you for that answer. It usually does come
down to an issue of resources in terms of the U.S. support. I
fervently believe that it is very important that we do so. I am
very concerned about reductions in support over the last
several years.
And I thank you for the specific suggestion about funding
for children's justice programs, which I think is something--I
hate to be so blunt about it, but I think it is something that
people can actually understand and recognize what that kind of
funding is going toward. It is something tangible, and that is
often needed when we are approaching the difficult issue of
what kind of resources we can provide.
Are there any other perspectives that you would--and I am
staying with you, Ms. Aparo, as either a survivor or an expert,
that you would like lawmakers and policymakers to understand?
Ms. Aparo. Yes, Representative Wild. I would strongly
recommend that survivors' voices be included into policymaking,
so that they can speak. Right now, we need the survivors to
take their seats on the table where policies are made, where
program designs are happening, so that they are able to inform
our programs.
Ms. Wild. Thank you. And I did see in your testimony, and I
heard you reference it when you were speaking, the importance
of including survivor voices, and you mentioned specifically
the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, which
was created by Congress in 2015. But that right now there is a
requirement that council members be a U.S. citizen or legal
resident, and you have made the recommendation that the policy
be expanded to allow survivor experts from around the globe.
I think that is an excellent suggestion, at least as
perhaps, even if they are not full members, to be associate
members, so that they are ensured of a seat at the table. And I
think--I thank you for the concrete recommendations. That is
very helpful, because sometimes we have a tendency to recognize
a problem but not really know what we can do to address it.
You have already addressed the resources issues, and I
think you have addressed this, but are there other areas
besides funding of child justice programs that you see as
really needing more investment to function well?
Ms. Aparo. Yes, Representative Wild. I see that much
investment needs to be directed to specifically training. We
are lacking trauma-informed approach in the way of case
management. And if institutions--the justice system is not
strengthened along trainings, cases will not be coming,
perpetrators will go free with the crimes that they have
committed, and there will be no accountability.
Because I can share my experience as a survivor, when I was
working in Uganda, I used to accompany women who suffered
intimate partner violence to court. And then, even before the
court, at the police station, a woman would be discouraged to
record a statement because it is assumed that it is a normal
thing when a husband beats you. And that discourages people a
lot.
And even when a brave woman takes a step to, like, push
forward the case to court, some of the justice officials would
say, how dare you report your husband? And who is going to pay
fees for your children? Who is going to feed your children?
And this is not a trauma-informed way of doing things. And
so I strongly recommend that the justice system need to be
strengthened through trainings, so that cases are effectively
managed to reduce the prevalence of violence against children.
Thank you.
Ms. Wild. Thank you. That is another very concrete example,
and I think it is an excellent one. And I was going to ask you
about trauma-informed approaches, so you went right into that.
But and one of my reasons for wanting to know about trauma-
informed approaches is because reporting a crime in itself can
be a very traumatic experience for these people. You know, I am
glad for the times that you were with somebody who was making a
report, because I am sure you gave them great strength, but
there need to be more people like you with that background.
With that, I am going to yield at this point, Mr. Chairman,
and let you ask some more questions. But thank you so much. I
could be here all day with you literally asking questions, and
I just am truly and deeply appreciative.
Mr. Smith. Yes, sir. Please, Dr. White.
Dr. White. Just one thing. I am all about accountability in
the work that I have done, and you have to change behavior. And
one of the things--you asked for specific, concrete
recommendations--is to--we have to name and shame, and we have
to expose these people. And I think one of the most effective
vehicles that we can do to start changing behavior is to have
some sort of sanctioning capability for people that are engaged
at a high-level, government official, just like we do with
GloMag, Congressman. You know, we have worked with you a lot on
that.
But something like and similar that we can expose these
people, name and shame them; otherwise, it is never going to
change, and it will also encourage the very thing Ms. Aparo
said, people to come forward.
But particularly women do not feel as though there is any
justice over there, and so--and, unfortunately, this cuts
across both sides, young boys and young girls. But I think if
we could do this, because it is done at a high-level,
government level, both in Liberia--right now, we know that, and
we will put together a package for you, Congressman, on
something like this. Certainly it happened in Sierra Leone. The
chief minister, all he did was resign and it swept under
because of the close ties of the high-level government
officials.
So until you sanction them for this type of behavior, it is
not going to stop, in my opinion, because there is nothing we
can do to change their judicial system in the short term. We
would love to do that, but it is not--but I do know from our
experience and our work in the sanctions arena that gets
people's attention. Nobody wants to be sanctioned by the U.S.
Government.
And also, it doesn't--when you sanction an individual, it
is not sanctioning the country. So people, that is a first
defense that they will use, look what you are doing to the
country. You are hurting aid. No, we are coming after you
because you are engaged in this despicable behavior, public
corruption, or human rights violation.
I think we need to find some vehicle that we could tie in
this specific behavior, because if you get sanctioned for this
type of behavior, it is--I think it is going to send a very
powerful message to other people, not just on the continent of
Africa, but elsewhere, because that is one thing--for all of
our ills in the United States, that is one thing that we rarely
engage in, and that is ritualistic killings. And I think this
is the time and place to do something and take a leadership
role.
Thank you.
Mr. Smith. Thank you. Let me just ask, you know, on that
issue of changing behavior. How much of this would you say is a
true believer on the part of the occult, and, you know, the
demonic aspect of this? You know, I am always reminded that in
the book of Leviticus, Chapter 18, Moses said do not sacrifice
your children to Moloch.
We know that that was being done by some, and it was a
hideous practice of child sacrifice to appease the underworld
god, which is the devil. And I am just wondering if you--did
they really believe it? You know, when these people are abusing
these children and--not all children--in such a horrific way,
that this is somehow truly appropriating power to themselves
from--from what?
Dr. White. Yes. Sadly enough, they do. And I was able to
witness this firsthand in 2002 when I got over there, because
they literally believe this from the civil wars, the rebels
that were engaged in it, and then even after the wars were
over. So there is an underbelly of darkness that none of us
here can really understand, but it does exist. It is very real.
And unless we expose it, it is going to continue in my opinion.
Mr. Smith. Obed, you mentioned I think--or you, Dr. White--
about the--that the church--the Catholic Church came out very
strongly. Where are the faith entities with regard to this? You
know, when they speak out, are they listened to by the
governments? You know, the fact sheet that is put out by World
Hope points out that the House of Representatives in Nigeria,
in 2021, introduced--doesn't say passed--introduced a
resolution declaring a State of emergency related to ritual
killings.
You know, are they finally getting it, you know, these
politicians, presidents, as well as their families? Or is it a
means to an end to, again, somehow appropriate power from the
evil one?
Mr. Byamugisha. Thank you, Chairman Smith. I wanted to
speak on that behavior change. It is true that we have a
segment who believes that traditional medicine mixed with blood
will actually heal their social problems.
I have handled a number of cases. Four months ago I had a
father who killed his son. He had seven. He was guided by a
witch doctor that when you kill one, you actually save six, and
you become rich. So there is a segment.
But of course what is fueling it is what I talked about,
the politics, commerce, and then--which is basically
exploitation. So the witch doctors use it to exploit the
vulnerable community members who are poor, and then--and the
people believe it.
If we really want to have a sustainable solution,
sustainable solutions that can end these practices, not only
ritualistic sacrifice but also any other form of violence, we
need to use training to reverse the demand, because if you look
at trafficking, it is just about the demand.
If you cut the demand, then supply is--actually is of no
use, and the demand comes from those who seek solutions to the
witch doctors. Or, if it is trafficking, people come and they
are seeking body parts, and that is why the agent becomes
active. But when you cut demand, it isa chain. So when you
cutoff demand, supply is of no use, and the sustainable
solution is basically about some of the things is training to
reverse the belief.
Then, the other is prevention. We talked about prevention.
Like I told you, there are many countries where they have
arrested perpetrators of such crimes, but we do not have laws
to try the perpetrators. And the ingredients of ritualistic
murder are different from murder or trafficking, because with
this, like I said, they are are now no longer transporting the
victims. They are killing the victims from their very homes.
So we need to help countries, so that they have the laws,
which are very preventive. The laws can prevent. In my country,
we arrested one of the famous witchmen, and it became a
nationwide advocacy, and the media started reporting about it.
But it is only Uganda that has drafted a law that can address
human sacrifice.
When you go to countries like Sierra Leone, Nigeria, they
do not have laws. They are arresting the perpetrators, take
them to police. After a while, they go back. And when a
perpetrator gets out, if he has killed two, he kills more and
even he comes back for--even asks the actors.
Mr. Smith. So you said Uganda has a law?
Mr. Byamugisha. Yes.
Mr. Smith. The others do not, or they have weak laws?
Mr. Byamugisha. They have not drafted laws specifically
that can address ritualistic murder. And if you look at Africa,
the concept of witchcraft is widespread. Witchcraft is
everywhere in Africa. So ritualistic murders are now
escalating, because politicians are using it to win elections,
people are using it to get rich, because exploitation is across
Africa.
Thank you.
Mr. Smith. Thank you.
And could I ask you, Ms. Fullah, and you might want to
respond to that, too, but just tell us a little bit more about
how--I mean, as Obed told us, 90 percent die. Did I get that
right? But there are 10 percent who survive. And then there are
others who probably, you know, for some reason they never do go
through it, or their family members go through it and they have
to deal with the pain and agony of the healing process.
Could you speak to that?
Ms. Fullah. Yes. Chairman Smith, and committee members, it
is sad to say that the issue of ritual murder and organ
harvesting is really a heinous crime. Like I mentioned in my
testimony, the post-traumatic stress disorder for those who
have experienced this kind of crime is like continuing. It is a
pain that they feel for almost the rest of their lives, even if
they will have healed physically.
And this is the situation for even the survivor I am
present here with today. And wanting to go back to when you
talked about be a real change, the sad reality is that, yes, a
lot of Africans do believe in witchcraft and ritual murder. For
me, for us to be able to combat this, we have to have tougher
measures and holding governments accountable.
Like Dr. Alan mentioned, for--no government wants to be
sanctioned, especially by the U.S. Most of--including the
country that I come from is do not even. We depend a lot on
funding from U.S. and foreign governments to be able to pull
through on our budget.
So if sanctions or funding opportunities are tied to
things--and I love the idea of including the facts of ritual
murder into the trafficking reports. I know Sierra Leone, and I
worked closely with the anti-trafficking agency, that they do
take the trafficking reports seriously. So if they know they
will have to provide fee goals and actions that will be put
into the trafficking reports, I know they will take action,
because we have to move people to be able to act.
Another thing also is working with communities. For
example, in Sierra Leone, communities are silent. The culture
of silence is huge. We have to be able to help communities to
speak out, to be able to make reports. And, for example, what
we are doing in Sierra Leone is working with the paramount
chief.
Paramount chiefs are really influential in those four
communities. We are doing it in--for these areas with contract
from the Georgia University through the African program
initiated to end slavery. What we are doing in those four
communities--four hotspots in this State is to work with
paramount chiefs, so that they are able to include in their
bylaws laws that will protect children, including trafficking.
So if we could be able to work more with communities to
help them to speak out, to train community structures to be
able to speak out about those things, I think it will make a
lot of difference, if we are--because paramount chiefs are like
the custodians of the culture. So if we start to work with them
on community structures, then we have been a community that
will be able to speak out for themselves and make report,
because once those things are exposed, then people will not
continue those crimes. It is because most of these things are
shielded in secrecy. That is what is feared in the act.
And we cannot also forget religious leaders. Religion in
Sierra Leone is a big issue. If we can be able to work with
religious leaders, so that they are able to use their pulpits
to be able to speak to the minds of individuals, I believe we
will be able to have the shifts in terms of how they behave.
Ms. Wild. Can I ask a followup to that?
Mr. Smith. Sure.
Ms. Wild. Just on that one--on that last point, if I may,
Ms. Fullah, I was thinking as this testimony was taking place
that religious leaders could be used or could be effective, I
should say, in changing some of these traditions and cultures.
And I am wondering who you think from our side should be
the effective communicators with religious leaders. Other
clergy? Is that the best way to approach religious leaders and
try to change their way of thinking and get them to communicate
with their congregations, and that kind of thing?
Ms. Fullah. Yes. I was thinking that they should be
included in our programs, like when we--when we are writing out
our projects, there should be--that should be included as to
how we could work with them and how they could work with their
congregation as to sensitize their communities based on their
faith, and as to how people could make the shift and be able to
protect their communities.
Ms. Wild. Thank you.
Mr. Smith. Let me as you know, you know, I did mention
earlier that I had really begun to learn about the juju men
when I was in Nigeria, and I heard the story that happened
frequently in Benin City.
And I heard it from a woman who actually was trafficked for
5 years in Rome, not all in Rome but much of it, and Sister
Eugenia, who does a great rescue in Rome of saving--she
actually goes out with vans and brings in women who have been
forced into trafficking off the streets. And many of them say
no, because of the fear. Before they left, a ritual was
performed over them, and they were told, you know, horrible
things will happen if you do not do exactly what the trafficker
says.
And she had that same issue--Elizabeth was her name, the
young woman--and she said only when the faith of, in her case,
Jesus Christ came to bear did she realize that she has nothing
to fear, that greater is he that is within you than he that is
within the world. And the same would apply I believe to Judaism
and other faiths.
But they have nothing to fear. And yet there is a fear
factor there that is very profound. I do not fully understand
it with regard to what it is like on a day-to-day basis in
Africa, like why people do not turn in the witch doctor, why
the police do not arrest, but maybe they do not have the laws
to do it with.
But how much power does that fear factor have? Because this
Elizabeth went on and on. She was a very amazing woman and just
amazing, and her life was turned around by her faith. But she
said there are so many other young women who are just captive,
and they walk around in fear that they cannot deviate from what
the trafficker says.
So, Obed, you wanted to speak on that?
Mr. Byamugisha. Yes. Thank you, Chairman Smith. Addressing
issues of harmful beliefs is not something easy. It is
something I have worked on for 12 years, and I have studied,
too, for some--quite some long time.
The reason as to why even some politicians or leaders or
government officials and police, or even some judges in courts,
shy away from helping to address--to reverse this, is because
of them subscribe to the same practice. That is number 1.
Number 2, in all our communities we have faith leaders,
which is just like hanging fruit. These are agents of change.
Sometimes, if they are--most times if they understand the
message, they can actually reverse those harmful practices,
because the rest of the key people in our communities fear to
confront. So there is a lot of fear.
But when faith leaders, as agents of change, embrace a
certain issue, they will always crack through the lines, and
they will always speak against it. Why? Most people in our
countries, they subscribe to a certain kind of faith group,
either Christian or Islamic, and there is a coexistence. You
find people who go to the shrines, and the same people go to a
church or a mosque.
So when the faith leaders speak boldly about an issue, most
times the public will pick it up, and before you know it there
is a chain of corrective efforts to address it.
So I think we need to integrate that as part of our
prevention, to work with faith congregations across the board,
because people in our communities believe in witch doctors the
same way they believe in faith leaders.
So at that level where we have things that people fear to
talk about, including politicians or government officials, who
subscribe to those harmful practices, working with faith
leaders is kind of a very perfect approach, which can help us
penetrate through the lines.
Thank you.
Mr. Smith. Can I ask you in terms of--how many witch
doctors are there? Is there any--of course it would be very
hard to even do a guesstimate on that, but is there any sense
as to how many? And was 20,000 victims or more than, is that an
accurate estimate per year of this--of this crime?
And let me just ask you as well, does the African Union
based out of Addis Ababa do anything on this?
Mr. Byamugisha. Thank you, Chair, Chairman Smith.
Currently, the AU has actually not also embraced efforts to
address ritualistic murders and child sacrifices. So this would
be a good opportunity to also--so that we extend accountability
measures to the AU, because I talked about more than 30
countries now hit by this practice, and children continue to
die.
However, like I said, when something comes from--the
approach of bottom--top-bottom works better for African
countries. Like my colleague was saying, if things like
sanctions start to come out, again, it is kind of a wakeup call
to the agenda of some of the regional coalitions and the AU in
particular. They will wake up and start to pursue these as
something of interest.
But like--Chairman Smith, like I said, if you look at even
the categories of--the way we look at trafficking, human
sacrifice and ritualistic murders are not yet categorized under
there. So if we come out boldly to highlight this as an issue,
so it will be a wakeup call as well to so many actors,
including the leadership of different State heads in Africa.
Mr. Smith. How do the witch doctors go into that practice?
Is it something that a witch doctor passes on to a son or a
friend? How does that happen? Ms. Fullah?
Mr. Byamugisha. Witchcraft is an influence. Sometimes it is
passed from parents to children or through community members.
Like I said, an example is a case that happened 2 months ago of
a father who approached a witch doctor, and the witch doctor,
and the witch doctor told him that you have seven children,
kill one, and you will be rich, and the father later heard he
killed his son.
Now, as I talk, the family has been totally broken down. So
they are not related, but some of this handful of practices are
passed on, because there are some members of our communities
who look at it as an exploitative avenue.
But there are those who--politicians who want to win
elections, they have been deceived, and they believe it. To the
police or the judicial system, the judges, or the officers, and
those high-ranking officers in government, they are paid
bribes. And they will never judge a case because someone is
benefiting from it.
All they know, it is an organized crime, which is very
sophisticated, so we need--our response should be high-level,
so that we are able to counteract all of the barriers that are
involved in addressing this issue.
Mr. Smith. In terms of investigations, are there
investigative journalists that have, you know, taken the time
and the effort to undercover these atrocities? I mean, as a
result of this hearing, we will be putting out all kinds of
press to the Africa Press Corps, and whether or not any of them
pick up on it will remain to be seen. But are they lax? Are
they believers in the occult?
Mr. Byamugisha. Chairman Smith, thank you very much. Even
for the first time for me to get to know about this issue it
was reported in the media. That is in 2009. I cannot tell you
when it started happening, but the media is another avenue. The
same way we talked about faith leaders, or it is just leaders,
the media has helped so much to report some of the cases where
bodies have been cut. And sometimes the media has also promoted
such practices. So it is both.
In African countries, the media has promoted the work of
witch doctors. We have a number of artifacts, which are run by
the media houses that advertise the work of witch doctors. But
we know that anywhere we can work with the media team globally,
not only in our countries, so that we start to create awareness
to bring it to the agenda of every leader.
But we need to use the media, because the witch doctors are
occupying this space, and they are advertising and fueling. And
we also need you to come, so that we work with the media houses
to make sure that we use this platform to create awareness.
Mr. Smith. Thank you.
Anything further?
Ms. Wild. One last thing. A couple of you have mentioned--
maybe three of you have mentioned that at times of elections
that the numbers rise, that--which is something I had never
heard of before, never even thought of. As is well-known, we
often have delegations to observe elections in other countries,
mostly there to ensure vote security and that kind of thing,
not this kind of issue.
Is there any kind of work surrounding elections when we--
they are scheduled, so we can get a sense of when they are
going to happen? I do not know how far in advance of an
election this kind of conduct tends to increase, but is there
anything surrounding elections that we can do that would help?
Any of you, feel free.
Mr. Byamugisha. Yes. Thank you very much. It is true,
actually, we get worried in our countries whenever it is time
to vote. Parents start to hide their children, and indeed cases
go high. It is believed that the more children you kill, the
more chances you have to win elections.
When you asked what can be done, indeed, we need to
integrate prevention and surveillance. Most times in our
countries the guidelines of elections look at only casting a
vote, counting it, and people, you read it, they go home.
Behind that, before the real casting of a vote is when they
kill many, many children, actually months and months before
elections, and there are no guidelines provided.
Ms. Wild. In what we would think of as the campaign season
leading up to the election.
Mr. Byamugisha. Exactly.
Ms. Wild. OK.
Mr. Byamugisha. And that is why in our recommendation we
are talking about the zero tolerance. Sometimes we do not look
at zero tolerance across from all the partners, including those
who can probe that.
We would look at the process rather than the outcome. As we
look at--we celebrate the democratic processes, behind that
blood has been shed. And they are shedding blood for the most
innocent children, even those who do not know the essence of an
election.
So we need to come up with zero tolerance on this effort
that we provide to the African countries. Also, we need to sort
of come up with guidelines and surveillance, because this is
reported in so many reports, how the cases rise, and then they
go down after the election. And there are some even African
leaders--he read so many--who believe that you can change--you
can sustain your power because you have actually murdered
children.
Ms. Wild. Thank you. I am just going to stop you there,
because I want to hear from any others that want to comment on
the election aspect.
Dr. White. I think that is an excellent point. Perhaps
maybe DRL might be best equipped. This is on our side of the
aisle from--can do an assessment maybe. I know they do their
annual human rights work, but I do not see a lot of work done
on ritualistic killings. But I think to get to your point, they
could include that in their assessment and investigation. And
they can look for those types of trends to give you some more
specificity.
But I think that is an excellent point, and perhaps based
on information that we get from DRL in their report, we look at
that, then maybe perhaps as part of the election monitoring
efforts we can insist that maybe whether it is IRI or NED,
whoever it may be that is involved in that, that they look at
that.
And then you can kind of get a benchmark how far out do we
look at these things, and maybe that is what we are looking at
to see if there has been a spike in it. But I think that that
is an excellent observation.
Ms. Wild. Thank you.
Dr. White. Thank you.
Ms. Wild. Anybody else want to comment on that?
Ms. Fullah. Yes. So, for me, I was thinking that you were
asking like what--those who go to monitor elections could do, I
was thinking that this could be included in the elections
guidelines as to some of the ways governments are supposed to
conduct themselves before and after elections.
Ms. Wild. Thank you. At minimum, I would hope that we
wouldn't invite elected officials who have participated in this
kind of thing to the United States to be honored or to meet,
you know, the President or Members of Congress, or whatever. I
think that that is an important part as well, that we recognize
that.
And there is often a real challenge between accountability
and diplomacy as I have discovered on--being on the Committee
on Foreign Affairs. So that is always interesting.
But thank you so much to all of you. I need to run, but
really appreciate it.
Mr. Smith. Just a couple of points. You know, this gives a
new definition to clean and free and fair elections. I mean,
very often it is money, whether or not there is--there is
undercount or overcount, all those kinds of issues. This has
not been part of the dialog ever as far as I know.
So I thank you for that, for letting us know that. The DRL
idea is a good one. I think we could put together a letter
immediately that would ask them, and maybe use the Liberian
election as an example for them to look at. You know, if there
is nothing there, great. If there is something there, we need
to know about it, and it needs to be held to account. So I
thank you for that recommendation, Dr. White.
I just want to, again, thank all of you for your testimony,
for your leadership, which is extraordinary. If you have
anything further you would like to say before we conclude the
hearing, Obed, or anybody?
Thank you. The hearing is adjourned, and members have 5
legislative days if they want to submit. Some of our members
that weren't here I am sure want to give opening comments, and
that will be made part of the record.
And, without objection, the hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
APPENDIX
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