By BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION
Added: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:00:00 UTC

Thanks to Crapsquirefor the link.
http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/press-releases/children-and-family/british-humanist-association-anti-witchcraft-conference-attacked-by-christian-church-in-nigeria-$1315424$365873.htm

Leo Igwe, a friend of the British Humanist Association and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Humanist Movement, was attacked yesterday during a raid by 150 to 200 members of a Christian church at a conference he had organised on "Child Rights and Witchcraft" in Calabar.

Leo had recently returned from London where he attended a BHA day conference and other international humanist events held at Conway Hall over the space of a week, including the world's first international conference on "Untouchability", where he was invited to speak on the problem of caste discrimination in Nigeria. Whilst in London he also spoke to the BBC on the problems faced in Nigeria due to religious superstition.

Helen Ukpabio and her church, the Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries, have run a campaign of terror against children and those committed to fighting for their rights, of which yesterday's raid was only the latest development. The conference had been organised by the Nigerian Humanist Movement and the UK charity Stepping Stones Nigeria in response to the widespread abandonment, torture and killing of children in Akwa Ibom and Cross River State due to the belief in child "witches".

As the anti-witchcraft conference began at around 10.30am, the religious protesters dressed in orange raided the venue and began protesting loudly. The extremists were carrying a number of banners with slogans such as, "This protest is organised by The Akwa Ibom State Government", "We give freedom to the witches" and "Stepping Stone is not a registered organisation".
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http://www.politics.co.uk/opinion-formers/press-releases/children-and-family/british-humanist-association-anti-witchcraft-conference-attacked-by-christian-church-in-nigeria-$1315424$365873.htm

TAGGED: ABUSE, CHILDREN, RELIGION