A witch camp is a settlement where women suspected of being witches can flee for safety, usually in order to avoid being lynched by neighbours.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Witch camps exist solely in Ghana, where there are at least six of them, housing a total of around 1000 women.[6] Such camps can be found at Bonyasi, Gambaga, Gnani, Kpatinga, Kukuo and Naabuli, all in Northern Ghana.[7] Some of the camps are thought to have been set up over 100 years ago.[6][8][9][10][11][12]

Many women in such camps are widows and it is thought that relatives accused them of witchcraft in order to take control of their husbands' possessions.[6] Many women also are mentally ill, a little understood problem in Ghana.[13][6] In one camp in Gambaga, the women are given protection by the local chieftain and in return, pay him and work in his fields.[14][15]

The Ghanaian government has announced that it intends to close the camps and educate the population regarding the fact that witches do not exist.[16][6] In 2014 the Minister for Gender and Social Protection took initiatives to disband and re-integrate inmates of the Bonyasi witch camp located in Central Gonja District.[17]

The Anti-Witchcraft Allegations Campaign Coalition-Ghana (AWACC-Ghana) has reported that the number of outcasts in witch camps is growing, and that food supplies are insufficient.[8] Currently, the Ghanaian government is shutting down many witch camps.[18]

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