Thread by @Paracelsus1092

On May 4th 2021, the Ugandan Parliament passed the The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Bill - a piece of legislation aimed at stamping out the pervasive problem of child sacrifice in the country.

A quick thread on how it's been going in Uganda since then:

'Hunting dogs lead police to den of human sacrifices'

The data is difficult to gather but maybe two children a week are abducted and ritually murdered in the country.

The reasons behind it are varied, usually to bring luck and fortune to a particular endeavour - an election, a new business or growing a church community

Sometimes the killing is done to order by a 'professional' witch doctor and the remains curated in a shrine.

Other times people take it into their own hands.

'Mayuge man suspected of killing wife in ritual sacrifice arrested'

Despite the new law and a raft of anti-sacrifice and anti-kidnapping work, the practice still continues.

The new law has seen some results, with successful prosecutions brought against witch doctors and others involved in these murders.

Not just the act itself, but purchasing body parts was made illegal under the new law.

Rural areas are more affected than urban, with more traditional beliefs about witchcraft and magic persisting in small agricultural villages.

Survivor stories have been told around the world, recounting distressing tales of being abducted and mutilated. Sometimes witch doctors target limbs or genitals rather than a whole child, and some lucky individuals manage to escape and survive.

Despite this being a reality of life in Uganda, so much so that they passed a specific law against it, western academics have been very reluctant to accept that child sacrifice occurs at all.

This one from a few days ago shows that human sacrifice is still thriving in Uganda, and the authorities have a way to go yet to abolish both the beliefs and the practice.