Record variety of youngsters in England are abused as a result of mother and father assume they’re witches or possessed by black magic

The number of children in England suspected of being abused because of witchcraft, sorcery and black magic beliefs has surged to its highest level on record, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Official figures show 2,180 children were identified as potential victims of abuse linked to faith or belief last year- a rise from 2,140 in 2023 and 1,960 in 2022.

The disturbing figure represents a 49 per cent increase on 2017, when 1,460 suspected victims were identified by social services.

Experts believe the true figure could be even higher due to under-reporting and a fear that officials are too afraid of intervening for fear of offending religious beliefs.

Megan Manson, of the National Secular Society, said: ‘It is alarming that thousands of children in England are suffering abuse relating to religion or belief – and that these numbers are increasing.

‘We know that fear of criticising religious or cultural beliefs can impede tackling these serious forms of abuse.

‘Authorities must ensure that the safety and wellbeing of children are always prioritised above any reluctance to criticise religion or culture.’

Abuse cases linked to faith or belief have seen children accused of harbouring demons subjected to exorcisms and ritualistic ‘cleasings’ to ‘deliver’ evil.

Others have been harmed because relatives believe their actions have brought bad luck – such as dialling a wrong number and supposedly allowing malevolent spirits to enter the home.

Among the most notorious cases was eight-year-old Victoria Climbié, tortured to death in 2000 by relatives who believed she was possessed.

She had been sent to England by her parents who hoped she would gain a better education than in her native Ivory Coast.

Instead she was starved, tortured, beaten with bike chains and kept prisoner in a freezing bathroom by her great-aunt Marie Therese Kouao and her partner Carl Manning.

When she finally died of hypothermia and multiple organ failure in a squalid flat in Haringey, east London, she was discovered with 128 separate injuries on her body.

Kouao and Manning claimed they believed Victoria, who died weighing just 3st 10lb, was possessed by evil spirits, before being jailed for life in 2001.

In 2002, former bus driver Manning apologised to Victoria’s parents for his part in her ‘sickening’ death. He last month lost a bid to be released on parole.

A decade later, 15-year-old Kristy Bamu was beaten and drowned on Christmas Day 2010 by his sister and her boyfriend in east London after being accused of being a witch.

Over four days, Kristy was subjected to torture with knives, sticks, metal bars, a hammer and pliers.

He was forced to pray for ‘deliverance’ and denied food and water. His siblings were also beaten alongside him but escaped further attacks after ‘confessing’ to being witches.

Bikubi and Magalie were both sentenced to life in prison, with Judge David Paget telling them: ‘The belief in witchcraft, however genuine, cannot excuse an assault to another person, let alone the killing of another human being’.

Just days before Kristy’s death, a mother in Hackney disembowelled her four-year-old daughter during a frenzied attempt to exorcise ‘evil spirits’.

Shayma Ali strangled the child before stabbing her 40 times with a kitchen knife.

She later told police that she believed her daughter was possessed by a spirit described in the Quran.

Ali, who gouged out the eyes of her daughter’s dolls to prevent them ‘seeing evil’, was later detained indefinitely in a mental hospital.

Officials say the problem – long associated with some African and Asian diaspora communities but which is not confined to one faith, nationality or ethnic group – is widely thought to be under-reported.

Disabled children, twins and those with epilepsy, autism or even minor behavioural problems have historically been more vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft.

Nimco Ali, chief executive of the The Five Foundation, said: ‘No community is immune to the sad reality of child abuse. But the rise in violence against children under the label of witchcraft is deeply disturbing.

‘This is a complex issue. Many abusers also struggle with mental health, but complexity cannot be an excuse for inaction. Cultural sensitivity, as we saw in the response to female genital mutilation (FGM), has too often meant turning a blind eye.

‘It has contributed not only to the lack of prosecutions but also to the absence of prevention measures.

We must do more to protect children. That begins with naming this abuse for what it is and tackling it head on.

‘Safeguarding professionals must be clear eyed: this is not culture, it is abuse.

They must see not communities, but vulnerable little girls and boys who need protection.’

Perhaps the most chilling and enduring mystery remains the case of ‘Adam’, a young African boy whose mutilated body was pulled from the River Thames in London in 2001.

A passer-by spotted his torso floating near Tower Bridge.

His head, arms and legs had been expertly removed, in what detectives believe was a ritual ‘muti’ killing – a ceremony in which body parts are believed to produce potent magical remedies.

The boy, aged between four and seven and found wearing only a pair of distinctive orange shorts, had recently arrived from Nigeria.

To this day, his real name and killers have never been identified. He lies in an unmarked grave in south London.

Mardoche Yembi, 33, was aged just 12 when he was branded a witch and subjected to two months of exorcisms.

Mardoche was sent from the Democratic Republic of Congo to live with his aunt and uncle in North London when his mother died during childbirth.

But relatives accused him of bringing his family bad luck and the result of Kindoki – a term for witchcraft used in the central African country.

His traumatic experiences were turned into a firm called Kindoki Witch Boy earlier this year.

The Local Government Association described the figures of suspected faith-based abuse as ‘deeply worrying’ and called for council social services to be better funded.

A spokesperson said: ‘These numbers are deeply worrying, and councils are determined to act on any signs of abuse.

‘The reality is councils receive around 1,700 referrals to children’s social care services every day, and continue to face mounting pressures providing support to children and young people.

‘It is vital children’s services are adequately funded in the Autumn Budget so that councils have the resources to invest in early help and intervention, to prevent children reaching crisis point.’

Professor Charlotte Baker, of Lancaster University, said: ‘Abuse linked to faith or belief occurs across the United Kingdom, often targeting children or vulnerable individuals and may result in physical, emotional, or psychological harm.

‘These abuses include spirit possession, witchcraft, ritualistic abuse, and related harmful practices, which occur in many parts of the world today.

‘These types of abuse are very difficult to detect and address, and efforts have gone into improving understanding among those who may come across victims of these abuses in their work.’

Colleague Leethan Bartholemow, of the International Network Against Witchcraft Accusations and Ritual Attacks, added: ‘It is much more of a problem then we recognise that it is.

‘There is much more work that needs to be done.’