Thousands of elderly Tanzanian women have been strangled, knifed to death and burned alive over the last two decades after being denounced as witches. Attacks on women denounced as witches, often by hired thugs or vengeful relatives, continue despite efforts by the government, rights groups and charities to crack down on the killings. But traditional beliefs are often used as a smokescreen, campaigners say, when the main driver of the killings is land. VulnerabilityZacharia's troubles began after she bought an acre of land in 2011 near her home in Tanzania's western Magu District. Although Tanzanians believe both sexes can be witches, almost all of the victims of attacks are women.

Source: The Star March 21, 2017 15:00 UTC