The intersection of sexual violence and contemporary witchcraft accusations

by INAWARA

On 4 March 2026, INAWARA held an online seminar event to discuss the intersection of sexual violence and contemporary witchcraft accusations. The speakers were Professor Miranda Forsyth, Ali Maloney (nurse academic) and Thérèse MEMA Mapenzi (women’s rights activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo).

This session focused on the link between sexual violence and accusations of witchcraft. In many, though not all, countries where witchcraft accusations and associated violence occur, those accused experienced a range of sexual violence, including forced undressing and public nudity, sexual assault and rape.

The speakers explored the specific contexts of Papua New Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Across both settings, they identified shared drivers of sexual violence, including entrenched gender inequality, the normalisation of violence against women and weak legal accountability.

The session also invited participants to reflect on other regions where such violence does or does not occur, with the aim of advancing understanding of the extent to which this is a common phenomenon.

Watch the session in full below.