Met Police to get training in spotting child abuse linked to witchcraft
- Published
Victoria Climbie was tortured and murdered by her great-aunt Marie-Therese Kouao and Carl Manning
The Met Police will get new training in spotting the signs of child abuse linked to a belief in witchcraft.
Such beliefs have been linked to the torture and murder of children including Victoria Climbie, who died in north London in February 2000.
But such beliefs are often "missed or misdiagnosed" as delusions - and the Met has warned they are on the rise.
The Amber Project will help officers spot warning signs and refer cases to the authorities.
Insp Allen Davis said knowledge and awareness are "not where they should be", and those working with children needed to be able to recognise the potential for abuse in certain situations.
"Cases are often missed or misdiagnosed," he said. "Practitioners may not recognise the risk of harm involved, chalking up these accusations to mental health problems or delusion.
"We need a concerted and co-ordinated response, where this issue is 'championed' locally so that it ceases to be viewed as a taboo issue and hidden harm.
"Despite its complexity and the cultural sensitivities involved, we need to mainstream our response and ensure professionals are confident to discuss beliefs in a careful but direct and professionally curious manner."
Dr Naomi Richman, from the University of Cambridge, said the aim was to provide tools "to navigate cultural and religious sensitivities" while "steering clear from negative and damaging stereotypes".
She said: "Efforts are needed to break down the stigma in beliefs in witchcraft and possession, as these are common to so many cultures around the world and are rarely used to justify harm."
Earlier this year the United Nations passed a historic resolution on harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft that result in human rights violations.
The scheme is a collaboration between the Met and the London Borough of Redbridge, Chester and Cambridge universities, and Barnardo's National Female Genital Mutilation Centre
The Met highlighted how witchcraft in this context does not refer to the Wicca movement, a pagan religion where people see witchcraft as a force for good.