Maame “N” is a frail old woman aged 90, living in Kumasi, Ghana. She has dementia and tends to wander from her home.

Wrongly accused of witchcraft

One night, she wandered into a neighbouring compound. She was subjected to abuse for several hours and accused of witchcraft, before a young man dragged her to the local police station on suspicion of witchcraft.

“We saw her around 10pm, sitting by the wall in our house and we mocked her and refused to give her food. Our sister prevented her from going out until 5pm,” said a witness from the house where Maame “N” was abused.

The police took her into custody to protect her from the angry crowd that had gathered as a result of the accusation, but they did not take any statements or arrest the accuser.

In the meantime, a local radio station announced that a witch had been caught red-handed. This caused a larger mob to gather outside the police station, demanding to see this “witch”.

Fortunately, someone in the crowd recognised Maame "N". They told the police who she was and that she had a mental condition.

Supporting older women's rights

HelpAge International's affiliate, HelpAge Ghana, supports older women like Maame “N” as part of its rights project. The organisation discussed the case with the police, the woman’s family and the accuser.

However, nobody was prosecuted for subjecting Maame “N” to such humiliation and abuse. HelpAge Ghana later held a press conference to condemn those involved in the incident and countered accusations of older women being witches by explaining about poor mental health.

HelpAge Ghana’s rights project documents cases of abuse and takes test cases to court. It has called on the government to criminalise people who accuse people of witchcraft, which often results in older women being physically abused.