- Danish aid worker Anja Ringgren Lovén has criticised Nigerians seen filming a malnourished child accused of witchcraft, describing the child as an innocent victim in urgent need of help.
- She vowed to expose those who watched without intervening, while reiterating her long-standing campaign that children are not witches and should never be subjected to abuse because of such accusations.
Danish humanitarian Anja Ringgren Lovén has condemned a viral video showing Nigerians filming a severely malnourished child accused of being a witch instead of offering help.
The video, which has circulated widely on social media, shows the child in a visibly distressed and neglected condition. Claims accompanying the footage alleged that the child was “a witch with an adult face who disguised as a bird and fell from a tree.”
Reacting to the video, Lovén, who has rescued dozens of children branded as witches and abandoned by their families in Akwa Ibom State, described the accusation as inhumane and criticised those standing by without helping the child.
In a strongly worded statement, she wrote:
“I have saved this video as evidence for everyone standing around not helping an innocent child in desperate need for help!!!! Each and every one of you are guilty!!! I will make sure your faces are shared around the world!!! This is NOT a witch!! This is an innocent CHILD!!! A HUMAN BEING!!!!”
Lovén has spent years advocating against child witchcraft accusations in Nigeria, insisting that children labelled as witches are victims who deserve protection, care and access to proper medical attention rather than abuse or abandonment.