Children around the world suffer in all manner of unpleasant ways. As if poverty, malnutrition and disease aren’t bad enough, children have been suffering at the hands of religion.
“Dispatches” covered the shocking treatment of children in a southern state in Nigeria. 
Attacked and abused in the name of religion. Abused by their family. Abused because parents were conned into believing their children were witches. Abused because they were believed to be the cause of any suffering in their communities.
The children were shown to have wounds all over their bodies, wounds inflicted in an attempt to make them confess to being a witch. Had fatal acid burns. Had the lifeblood sucked out of them by the people that should have been protecting them. Their families.
All in the name of religion.
This abuse was highlighted by an incredible man by the name of Gary Foxcroft. A man who saw the injustices children were facing and knew that he had to do something about it. A man who set up a charity to raise awareness and funds to change these children’s lives around.
The governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, was made aware of the situation and chose to do the right thing. To act in the interests of those suffering. The children.
He insisted that, “the state government will not hesitate to destroy or demolish any church engaged in any negative and unproven vision in order to satisfy their clients.”
“We will destroy and demolish every church that is engaged in any stupid vision in Akwa Ibom State. We will not stop there, we will have to make examples out of some people. We will chase out some churches in the state which are found wanting.
“The churches are busy deceiving people in many aspects including avoiding deaths. We have to do something to re-strengthen the Child Right Law. We must fight against the abuse of children and ensure proper education for them,” he said.
Thanks to the commitment of Godswill Akpabio, the children of Akwa Ibom State are being supported and their rights upheld.
But this is not just an African problem. Something similarly shameful has happened a lot closer to home.
The children in Ireland sadly didn’t have someone to protect them from the injustices they were suffering. They needed a Gary Foxcroft. Instead they had Catholic Archbishops who covered up the abuse they suffered at the hands of priests, deeming the reputation of the church more important than the children in their care. Instead of a Godswill Akpabio, they had members of the police willing to turn a blind eye to what they knew was going on behind closed doors.
A known four archbishops covered up abuse that spanned several decades in the Dublin archdiocese - such a shame that three of the four are now dead and cannot be held accountable for the harm that they have caused.
When are people going to realise? Religion does far more harm around the world than it heals.
