Stop tagging us as witches in our old age - Elderly widows appeal

Correspondence from the Eastern Region

Elderly widows in the Asamankese area have appealed to Ghanaians to desist from perceiving and tagging elderly women as witches especially when they become old and frail.

The widows expressed the worry that such disheartening tag causes them so much psychological trauma and eventually lead them to their early graves.

"Even those of

Read full articleus who are sick, our situation is more disturbing...they should be measured in tagging us as witches. If we were witches, we would not have taken care of them to grow," one of them said.

Another widow also expressed that, "it is not a good thing to have such a thinking about your fellow human being. They should stop labelling us as such.

"In any case, I believe in the saying that, 'let them accuse you, but don't let it come true.' I have never seen the colour of witchcraft before. So if you tag me as a witch, that's your case."

One of the widows also recounted how painful it is to carry nine months pregnancy, give birth and take care of a child only for them to grow and accuse you as a witch.

"I appeal to Ghanaians to stop tagging us as witches. It is unreasonable to go through all these pains to be repaid in this manner. We plead, no matter our conditions, we (elderly women) are still yours," she said.

The widows made the appeal in an interview with GhanaWeb when over 200 of them received some Christmas packages from the Deputy Managing Director of the Intercity STC Coaches Limited, Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye at Asamankese.

Adding his voice, Mr. Sintim-Aboagye also expressed dissatisfaction about some Ghanaians developing the penchant of tagging elderly women and widows as witches.

"It is never right and I don't subscribe to it. As one grows old, they lose some senses and become frustrated and other things. That doesn't mean they are witches," he explained.

Mr. Sintim-Aboagye assured that the government has put in place a lot of interventions to sustain the livelihood of the elderly in the country.

The presentation was made through the Mission to Widows Foundation, an entity headed by one Rev. Samuel Asiedu Bonsu, Head Pastor of Victory Baptist Church.