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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Analysis: Race issues beset Obama's "post-racial" presidency | Video 21 Jul 2010 Clintons in tears over Chelsea? You can bet on it 19 Jul 2010 Sarah Palin reported doubtful on Bristol's marriage 21 Jul 2010 California city approves marijuana farming 21 Jul 2010 US financial system support up $700 bln in past year-watchdog 21 Jul 2010 Superjet seals second $900 million plan order 21 Jul 2010 Obama signs sweeping Wall Street overhaul into law | Video 21 Jul 2010 Obama challenges Arizona immigration law in court 9:27am EDT Gulf storm threatens efforts to plug spill | Video 11:05am EDT Senate ends standoff and votes to restore jobless aid 7:44am EDT Analysis: Race issues beset Obama's "post-racial" presidency | Video 21 Jul 2010 California city approves marijuana farming 21 Jul 2010 US financial system support up $700 bln in past year-watchdog 21 Jul 2010 California city manager's pension could top $30 million 21 Jul 2010 Archaeologists find new structure at Stonehenge 9:48am EDT Colorado man delivers pizza and saves heart attack victim 21 Jul 2010 Obama signs sweeping Wall Street overhaul into law | Video 21 Jul 2010 Senate ends standoff and votes to restore jobless aid 7:44am EDT New guidelines say vaginal birth OK after c-section 21 Jul 2010 Gay zombie movie banned by Australian censors 21 Jul 2010 Congo's children battle witchcraft accusations Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Related News Fuel tanker explosion kills over 230 in Congo Sat, Jul 3 2010 Related Topics World » By Katrina Manson KINSHASA | Thu Jul 22, 2010 10:09am EDT KINSHASA (Reuters) - When Pascal's little brother got sick, his family accused him of witchcraft and took him to a pastor who forced him to drink pigeon's blood and oil. Denied food and beaten for three days, the ten-year-old managed to escape, joining some 250,000 other street children in Congo for three years until he was scooped up by a children's center in Kinshasa's tough east end. "(The pastor) wouldn't let me eat or drink any water -- he said it would increase the power of the witch," Pascal, not his real name, said in the center where nearly 100 other children, most accused of witchcraft, have also sought shelter. UNICEF, the United Nations' children's charity, says accusing children of sorcery is a fairly new and growing trend in Africa, despite long-held traditional and mystic beliefs on the continent. "The phenomenon of 'child witches'... occurs in urban areas, where it has grown constantly in the last thirty years," according to a UNICEF study published this month. Where previously elderly women were accused, today the focus more often falls on young children, often some of the most vulnerable, such as orphans, disabled or poor. The U.N. report says many children ousted from their homes for being witches are blamed for family misfortunes ranging from sickness and poverty to envious stepmothers. Some religious sects make money exorcising their spirits. "It's a problem that's growing every day," says Father Justin Onganga, a Catholic priest who manages another center. "This has nothing to do with witchcraft but it has everything to do with urban poverty," Onganga said. "ECONOMIC REASONS" Congo's 1998-2003 conflict earned the label of Africa's world war after it sucked in six neighboring armies and killed 5.4 million people, mostly from malnutrition and disease. Nearly 80 percent of the population still live on less than $2 a day. The conflict simmers, mostly in the east, but Onganga said the "child witch" phenomenon was a symptom of a capital under extreme strain. "It's just down to economic reasons -- when they can't look after their home they find a reason to get rid of a child." Olivier, 12, was thrown out of home by his uncle's wife, who accused him of wanting to kill his younger brother. "They called a fetishist and he said whoever's face showed up in the mirror was responsible. He held the mirror in front of me and my face appeared. My family threw me out," he said. A throbbing city of 8 to 12 million, Kinshasa is toughest by night. Young girls compete to have sex with men for $1 a go, hoping to find at least five in a night. One, on the streets for ten years, says she lost her tooth when a man who was raping her punched her to stop her from screaming and struggling. At night in the Matete neighborhood, a baby boy lay silently in the dirt as a dog ran over his body. British charity War Child found in a study this year that 41 percent of street girls had been accused of witchcraft. Some girls leave their children drugged in alleyways to keep them quiet while they go to work, the organization said. FLYING ON AVOCADOS Although short on numbers, the U.N. study cited cases across the continent, from Botswana and South Africa, to Ghana in the West and Tanzania in the East. Study author Aleksandra Cimpric found 70 percent of people imprisoned in Central African Republic's capital are there due to witchcraft accusations, and said some children confess to flying on peanut shells, mango tree bark and avocado skins. "Even though we Africans believe that witchcraft exists, these are all false cases," said Onganga. Some children had been taken back into their homes once they have become successful or wealthier than their parents. The U.N. has called for the decriminalization of witchcraft in countries where it is a crime -- such as Benin, Mali and Uganda -- and also blames dysfunctional families and poverty. "I don't want to go back to my family. But I hope one day to have a house and wife," said Pascal, who still has no home. (Editing by David Lewis) World Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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