In honor of International Women's Day 2026, End Witch Hunts hosted a powerful panel discussion bringing together advocates, legal experts, journalists, and survivors to raise awareness about witchcraft accusations targeting women in Nigeria and across Africa. This conversation is part of the global "Give to Gain" initiative — the theme of International Women's Day 2026 — calling on individuals, organizations, and governments to give resources, empathy, legal support, and voice so that women accused of witchcraft can gain justice, safety, and dignity. Witchcraft accusations disproportionately target women, especially those who are poor, widowed, elderly, or otherwise vulnerable. Accusation can mean social ostracism, physical violence, displacement, imprisonment, and even death. Our panelists shared firsthand experience, legal expertise, and on-the-ground advocacy work illuminating what is happening in Nigeria today and what all of us can do about it. How witchcraft accusations specifically harm women and compound existing inequality The psychological toll of accusation, including self-doubt and mental health impacts Legal protections that exist in Nigeria and why they are not being used How women can seek justice through courts, NGOs, and community channels even without financial resources The role of patriarchy, poverty, and community silence in perpetuating accusation Why empowerment and financial independence are protective factors How diaspora communities outside Nigeria are funding witchcraft accusations back home What governments, international organizations, media, and individuals can give to create real change The critical importance of reaching rural communities in local languages Dr. Leo Igwe is the director of Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW), an initiative working to end witch hunts in Africa by 2030, and the Critical Thinking Social Empowerment Foundation. A board member of Humanist International and the Humanist Association of Nigeria, Dr. Igwe earned his doctoral degree from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, where he wrote his thesis on witchcraft accusations. Chief Magistrate Safiya Musa Salihu is a Chief Magistrate in Bauchi State, Nigeria, and Vice Chairman of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Bauchi branch. She has trained paralegals across multiple communities and works fearlessly to ensure that accused women have access to justice. Hauwa Mundi is a broadcast journalist with Radio Nigeria — the largest radio network in Africa with over 40 million listeners — a social media influencer, and a member of Advocacy for Alleged Witches. She uses her platform to challenge belief in witchcraft and amplify the stories of the accused. Maimunat Mohammed is an Information Officer at a university in Minna and representative of the Niger State Branch of Advocacy for Alleged Witches. She shared her own experience of being accused alongside her mother following her father's death, and her years of advocating for her family in the face of community hostility. Dr. Barrister is the National President of the Association of Women against Gender-Based Violence and founder of the ADI Foundation in Bayelsa State, Nigeria, working for justice and security for vulnerable persons. Article by Dr. Leo Igwe Give to Gain: Justice for Women Accused of Witchcraft in Africa Advocacy for Alleged Witches (AfAW) End Witch Hunts International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Association of Women against Gender-Based Violence Radio Nigeria UN Human Rights Council Resolution 47/8
