Crusade against withcraft by street plays in Jharkhand

[icymist]

By Girija Shankar Ojha, Ranchi, March 7 : A non government organization and a group of tribals in Jharkhand capital Ranchi are spreading awareness through street plays as part of their crusade against the persecution of women, who are usually branded as witches and often experience harrowing times.

The Free Legal Aid Committee (FLAC), the NGO, and some tribal women who have fallen victims to this stigma, have jointly launched this campaign. These people stage plays in remote parts of Jharkhand and educate local residents against the strange practices.

Sunita, a young tribal woman, suffered public humiliation and physical suffering when a member of her family was accused of being a witch and put through the trauma of ostracism.

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While cases of women practicing occult is known, in most cases innocent women are branded as witches and subjected to torture and are even killed. At times, the so-called witches are paraded naked publicly or socially boycotted.
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