Let us stop child sacrifice

The death of a child of any age is devastating. The pain and anguish can be compounded when the death comes at the hands of another human being. Parents and family members can face many complicated issues, even as they try to make sense of the incomprehensible - that someone knowingly, willingly or intentionally killed their child.

Children are gifts from God,  they are precious and bundles of joy.Birth of children represent generational continuity and procreation is devine as God commanded: Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it.Mwanachipo Africa Trust is a local NGO that works with people who are infertile and childless.As people who are infertile and childless, we are pained most when these gifts we are failing to get are hurt or ill treated and when they are murdered, our hearts are pierced.We are hurt most because, some of us have undergone unimaginable ordeals and forked huge sums of money in trying to bear children whilst heartless people and cowards, who prey on vulnerable children, are busy chopping off their heads and mutilating their bodies.To us, killing of children for whatever reason is termination of generational continuity and destruction of families instead of growing and expanding them.

The recent surge in ritual killings and murder cases  of children in Zimbabwe is not only worrisome but also inhumane and horrifying.The gruesome murder of Tapiwa Makore (7) of Murehwa who was buried without a head and the recent heinous killings of two Benza cousins Delan (7) and Melissa (7) of central Mutasa  by uncles should not go unchallenged.These brutal killings have prompted Mwanachipo to initiate the Stop Child Sacrifice:The 777 Campaign.

The 777 Campaign is in honour of the 3 slain innocent children (Tapiwa, Delan and Mellisa) who were all murdered aged 7 and the suspected ritual killers being uncles.Tapiwa was fed with food and later drugged with Kachasu( traditional illicit beer) before being brutally killed in a mountain.His torso was found the following morning being dragged by dogs and his head is nowhere to be found up to this day.Mellisa and Delan's remains were found stashed in a toilet pit.

These gruesome murders are targeted mainly at children for ritual purposes.Vulnerable, innocent children are mutilated and murdered by ruthless and criminal people who want to increase their wealth, health, power or reputation – by all means.Like Tapiwa, Delan and Mellisa, a lot of children have fallen victim to murderers and ritual killers. Due to their vulnerability, they are easily abducted on their way to or from school or when conducting their daily home activities such as fetching water and collecting firewood.Children are the main victims because they are considered pure or unblemished ,easy to lure and their blood sacrifice is considered more powerful than that of adults as children represent new life, prosperity and growth to the one procuring the sacrifice.They are sacrificed by witch doctors to appease ‘the gods' and bring a myriad of solutions which include wealth, good health and political power  among others.Adults drawn to the practice are tricked into believing that the purity of child makes the ritual more powerful.
Hearts, ears, livers and genitals are considered as key ingredients of the rituals.These body parts are said to be removed when children are still alive and they die as a result of bleeding or are killed by the murderers to conceal evidence.

The repeated occurrences of these ritual killings is a blatant violation of UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 and Convention on
the Rights of the Child (CRC) of 1989. The CRC applies to
all children below the age of 18, and contains 54
articles covering almost all aspects of the life of a child.More so, this child sacrifice violates the African Charter on Human and People's Rights. According to this charter, an individual is entitled to respect for his life and integrity of his person.

Biblically, God sanctified life.This  means that human life is sacred ( made in the very image of the Creator himself according to Genesis 1:26-27), holy and precious. The sanctity of life is inherent as man cannot create life. Therefore, man has no authority to destroy life including the life of children. God chooses when life begins and ends and murder in all its forms is forbidden.It is the only way for humankind to exist.

Through the Stop Child Sacrifice: 777 Campaign , Mwanachipo Africa Trust is mobilising resources to be used to prevent  sacrifice of children.
 Our children are not safe until every child is safe.
Let us join hands to end child sacrifice. Everyone is duty bound to protect every child.Be part of the change which starts with all of us.Together we can make Zimbabwe a safer country for our children.

Pasi nekuchekeresa vana!
Stop child sacrifice!
Yekelani ukunikela ngabantwana libabulala!
#ChildrenAreNotSafeUntilEveryChildIsSafe

(Other organisations and individuals who wish to join us in this campaign can contact us on +263718745374 mwanachipoafricatrust@gmail.com)