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

Kirsty Brimelow KC

National FGM Centre

United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 47/8. Elimination of harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks

Pan African Parliament Guidelines for Addressing Accusations of Witchcraft and Ritual Attacks

Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: Study on the situation of the violations and abuses of human rights rooted in harmful practices related to accusations of witchcraft and ritual attacks, as well as stigmatization

World Day Against Witch Hunts

End Witch Hunts

Connecticut Witch Trial Exoneration Project

Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project

Maryland Witches Exoneration Project

Witch Hunt Website

End Witch Hunts Bookshop