Margaret Brew-Ward, a campaigner for women’s rights in Ghana, has related the story of a little girl who was called a witch by members of her community because she received a 30 overall on her Basic Education Certificate Exam.
The girl, who received a grade never before reached by a female in that community, was called a witch, according to the campaign manager for Action Aid Ghana.
She was labeled a witch because she defied gender stereotypes and became the first female student to receive the highest grade.
“Recently, there was a case we heard when we visited one of the communities that a girl who got around aggregate 30 in the BECE was [branded a witch]… Meanwhile, you know, in the cities, people are striving for aggregate 8, eight 1s and what not.
“Just because in that community, no girl had passed to go to the secondary school, so for a girl to do that, she [must have been a witch],” she explained on JoyNews.
Madam Brewward was talking about the variety of people who are vulnerable to being falsely accused of being witches and who are then attacked and, in some cases, killed.
The activist pointed out that in the instance of the female student, it required cooperation between her group and several official institutions to secure her support.
Attacks against people who have been labeled as witches have occurred in numerous instances over the years.
There have been occasions where mob attacks have resulted in the deaths of such accused people, despite the fact that such people typically experience social rejection and parental neglect.
While this is going on, there have been numerous requests for the state to pass legislation that forbid mistreating persons who have been accused of witchcraft.