Anthropologist Dr. Nora Groce from University College London discusses the troubling connection between disability and witchcraft accusations. Dr. Groce shares her research on why people with disabilities are targeted, including her study on the experience of persons with albinism in East Africa. We explore how traditional beliefs create stigma, discuss the global disability rights movement, and examine community-based solutions to protect vulnerable populations. This conversation will inform you on lesser-understood human rights issues related to witchcraft accusations worldwide.
Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of explicit sexual content related to historical witchcraft allegations.
In this scholarly episode of Witch Hunt Podcast, hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack welcome historian Dr. Michael Ostling to examine one of witchcraft history’s most persistent legends: the hallucinogenic flying ointment.
Dr. Ostling carefully separates historical evidence from modern misconceptions, revealing how contemporary interpretations often reflect our own misogynistic projections rather than the experiences of those accused of witchcraft. Through thoughtful analysis, this episode respects the memory of innocent victims while providing listeners with a deeper understanding of how witchcraft myths evolve and persist across centuries.
This conversation challenges popular assumptions and offers valuable historical context on this fascinating yet frequently misunderstood aspect of witch hunt history.
In this powerful episode, Josh and Sarah welcome Peter Ogik, Executive Director of Source of the Nile Union of Persons with Albinism in Uganda, who shares his personal story and advocacy work.
About our guest: Peter Ogik was born and raised on an island in Lake Victoria, Uganda. As the first person with albinism in his community of about 600 people, Peter faced discrimination from birth but was fortunate to have supportive parents who advocated for him, especially in school settings where he initially struggled due to bullying and visual impairments associated with albinism.
Key topics discussed:
Personal experiences with discrimination: Peter shares how he was called “a thing” rather than a person, and how children were told not to sit near him because of harmful myths.
Educational challenges: Teachers initially placed Peter at the back of the classroom despite his visual impairments until his father intervened, leading to improved academic performance.
Dangerous misconceptions: Peter survived three kidnapping attempts by those seeking to harvest his body parts for witchcraft, based on the false belief that they bring wealth.
Health challenges: Persons with albinism face high risks of skin cancer, with over 90% dying before age 30 without proper protection and care.
Women and girls with albinism: They face additional challenges, including sexual violence based on the myth that intercourse with a woman with albinism can cure HIV/AIDS.
Advocacy work: Through his organization, Peter works to:
Educate communities and change harmful perceptions
Provide mobile skin clinics and sun protection
Train teachers to better support students with albinism
Advocate for policy changes like tax exemptions on sunscreen
Signs of progress: Peter notes how community attitudes are changing, with more persons with albinism now graduating as doctors, lawyers, engineers, and other professionals.
International Albinism Awareness Day: This UN-recognized day (celebrated since 2015) has become a powerful platform for education and policy influence in Uganda.
Resources mentioned:
Source of the Nile Union of Persons with Albinism (SNUPA)
Advantage Africa, a partner organization since 2013
This episode highlights how education and advocacy can combat deadly superstitions and improve lives for marginalized groups. Peter’s message is one of resilience and hope: “I can’t wait to see the tomorrow whereby a person will not define me by my appearance, but will define me by my abilities.”
Join us each day March 15-21 as we participate in Podcasthon 2025, where more than 1,500 podcasters unite to amplify causes close to their hearts. We’re proud to participate with our nonprofit End Witch Hunts, which is working to educate about persecution of alleged witches worldwide. When you think of the Salem Witch Trials, it might seem like ancient history—an open-and-shut case from a bygone era. But as Sarah reveals, “The witch hunting story is bigger than just Salem. Pull back each layer and you find that witch hunts aren’t a tall tale or an opened and shut case.” One minute you think you know the truth. The next, you realize you don’t know the half of it.
Throughout this special week-long series, we’ll explore how witch hunts transcend ancient historic documents and continue happening today. In this installment We examine literal witch hunts—where fear of witchcraft drives accusations of supernatural harm—featuring insights from Economist Boris Gershman on global witchcraft beliefs and the path toward ending these dangerous persecutions. Tune in daily as we uncover this complex story layer by layer. Learn more at podcasthon.org and discover how you can help at www.endwitchhunts.org.
In this episode, Professor Victoria Canning from Lancaster University discusses the overlooked intersection of criminology and witchcraft persecution. Through the lens of “zemiology”—the study of social harm—Canning examines how witchcraft accusations create profound physical, psychological, and cultural damage. Central to our conversation is her concept of “torturous violence,” which expands definitions of torture beyond state actions to include sustained community violence with similar traumatic effects. This framework helps explain how witchcraft accusations function as mechanisms of social control, particularly against women. Canning advocates for an “activist criminology” that uses evidence to drive social change and helps practitioners identify and respond to witchcraft-related persecution. Join us for this informative conversation bridging criminology and witchcraft studies to address these overlooked forms of violence.
Content warning: Contains descriptions of violence.
Historian Louis Pulford reveals how a 13th-century religious persecution became the blueprint for centuries of persecution. The Albigensian Crusade (1209-1229) marked the first time the Catholic Church turned its crusading armies inward, targeting the Cathar religious minority in southern France. Pulford, who recently completed his PhD research on firsthand accounts of the crusade, traces how tactics developed during this campaign – from systematic interrogations to public marking of the accused – would later be deployed in witch trials across Europe and colonial America. By understanding how these persecution methods were first developed and refined during the Albigensian Crusade, we gain crucial insight into the mechanics of later witch hunts and how established systems of persecution could be turned against any marginalized group. Join us as we explore this pivotal moment when methods of mass persecution were refined and institutionalized, setting dangerous precedents that would echo through the centuries.
On Human Rights Day, December 10th, marking 75 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we explore one of humanity’s ongoing challenges: how differences continue to be met with fear, persecution, and violence.
We welcome special guest Muluka-Anne Miti-Drummond, United Nations Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of Human Rights by Persons with Albinism, for a critical discussion that epitomizes Human Rights Day 2024. Her vital work documents how harmful practices and ritual attacks continue to threaten the lives of persons with albinism in Africa and globally, challenging the fundamental principles the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created to protect.
Our conversation examines how beliefs that lead to harm continue to target persons with albinism, particularly women and children. Through the framework of United Nations Resolution 47/8 on accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks, we explore how countries worldwide are developing protective measures while respecting cultural contexts.
As we mark International Human Rights Day and its vision of dignity for all people regardless of race, color, religion, abilities, or status, this discussion provides both a sobering look at ongoing human rights challenges and hope through education, awareness, and community engagement. Join this crucial exploration of human rights protection, where harmful practices meet National Action Plans, and learn how global communities are working together to ensure safety and dignity for persons with albinism.
Join us for an exciting collaboration as Witch Hunt meets Witches of Scotland in this special crossover episode. Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack sit down with Zoe Venditozzi and Claire Mitchell to explore the parallel paths of witch trial justice advocacy across the Atlantic. From Connecticut to Scotland, discover how these podcasters are working to right historical wrongs while preventing modern-day witch hunts. Key topics include contrasts between American and Scottish witch trial histories, the unique challenges of tracing witch trial ancestry in different cultures, Dorothy Good’s heartbreaking story: imprisoned at age 4 in Salem, current advocacy efforts for exoneration and remembrance, and modern witch hunt phenomena and their global impact. The discussion also features Connecticut’s witch trial history and recent exoneration efforts, Scotland’s unique legal framework for addressing historical injustices, the challenges of creating memorials in both countries, modern-day witch hunts and their global prevalence, and the role of gender in historical and contemporary witch accusations.
Explore the pressing global challenge of modern witch hunts with Kirsty Brimelow KC, one of Britain’s leading human rights barristers and incoming vice chair of the Bar Council. Drawing parallels between harmful traditional practices worldwide, Brimelow shares insights from her groundbreaking work developing protection orders and contributing to the 2021 United Nations resolution on witch hunting and ritual attacks.
Content Warning: This episode discusses sensitive topics including Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and violence related to witchcraft accusations.
Brimelow shares expert insights on developing effective community engagement strategies while respecting cultural sensitivities. She demonstrates how fear and deeply held beliefs can trigger accusations, illustrating her points with compelling examples from her extensive legal career, policy development work, and international case studies. This episode provides essential context for understanding modern witch hunts as a contemporary global human rights issue requiring coordinated international response. Through examining successful interventions against FGM, we explore proven strategies for combating harmful traditional practices through combined legal action and community engagement.
Join us for this critical discussion about protecting vulnerable populations and building effective systems for monitoring and preventing witch hunting in the modern world.
Key Topics Covered:
Religious freedom and harmful traditional practices
Comparative analysis of legal approaches to FGM and witchcraft accusations
Role of religious leaders in perpetuating or preventing accusations
Challenges facing law enforcement in remote communities
Connection between disability discrimination and witchcraft allegations
Implementation strategies for the 2021 UN resolution
Global initiatives targeting elimination of harmful practices by 2030