Show Notes
Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack mark August 10, World Day Against Witch Hunts, with its creators, Sister Lorena Jenal and journalist Jörg Nowak of the German Catholic aid organization Missio. Sr. Lorena, a Swiss Franciscan who has served 47 years in Papua New Guinea, has rescued more than 420 women accused of sorcery since 2012 and shelters survivors at the House of Hope, built using her International Weimar Award for Human Rights. Nowak describes how Missio recognized sorcery accusation-related violence as a current human rights violation, expanded support to projects in countries including Liberia, Tanzania, Ghana, Benin, and documented abuses through reporting and museum exhibitions. They discuss the scale in PNG (109 cases last year), an estimate of 3,000 killings over 20 years, patterns of scapegoating and misogyny, severe sexual violence and public humiliation, police corruption and inaction, and advocacy efforts to elevate August 10 to a United Nations-recognized day.
Chapters
00:00 World Day Against Witch Hunts
01:37 Meet Lorena and Jörg
03:10 Missio Campaign Origins
05:38 Papua New Guinea Crisis
11:40 Who Gets Accused
20:21 Sexual Violence Research
29:06 Police Corruption and Justice
35:15 Creating August 10
43:48 House of Hope Sanctuary
46:20 UN Recognition Push
52:20 How You Can Help
53:57 Final Thanks and Share
Links
- Hexenverfolgung heute | missio: https://www.missio-hilft.de/informieren/wofuer-wir-uns-einsetzen/gegen-hexenverfolgung/
- World Day Against Witch Hunts: https://endwitchhunts.org/day
- The Thing About Witch Hunts: https://aboutwitchhunts.com
- Salem Witch Trials History YouTube: https://youtube.com/@aboutwitchhunts
- The Thing About the Salem Witch Trials: https://aboutsalem.com
- Salem Witch Trials Daily: https://aboutsalem.com/salem-witch-trials-daily/