ANGOLA: Investigation into child abuse

Angola is to investigate cases of children being accused of witchcraft, state media said Wednesday, after Pope Benedict XVI condemned the practice during a recent visit.

The Pontiff spoke out about the problem of abuse linked to some traditional religions during a mass in the southern African country last month.

In one case last year, 40 children, some just babies, were rescued from a "church" in the capital Luanda after being held for 15 days in which they were starved, burned and had perfume rubbed in their eyes, state media said.

The probe will be carried out in the provinces of Luanda, Uige and Zaire in a bid to find out more about the problem, the state news agency Angop said.

"We have to discover the reasons that children are become victims and why they are being accused of sorcery," Fatima Viegas, the director of the National Institute of Religious Affairs, was quoted as saying.

"We must stop this, because we are confronted daily with information relating to children accused of being witches and being abused by adults."

Further information

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