Teachers and people working with children are being given guidance on how to identify signs of ritual abuse inflicted in the belief that a child is possessed by evil spirits. Drawing on research showing 38 known cases of child abuse linked to alleged spirit possession in England since January 2000, the government guidance aims to raise awareness of the practice and help those coming into contact with youngsters to recognise indicators of abuse.The signs they are told to look out for, listed in draft advice published today, include marks such as bruises or burns on a child's body, a child becoming "noticeably confused, withdrawn, disorientated or isolated", and "deterioration in personal care" including weight loss, unkempt or dirty clothes, or even faeces smeared on the body.
Children may also report directly that they have been accused of being evil, or that they are having the "devil beaten out of them", according to the advice, which says teachers and others should follow child protection guidelines and pass their concerns to social services or the police.
The most common forms of abuse youngsters may suffer include physical assaults such as beating, burning, cutting, stabbing, semi-strangulation and having chilli peppers rubbed on to their eyes or genitals. Emotional forms of abuse, says the guidance, range from isolation from other family members to threats to abandon the child, who may also be subjected to sexual abuse and neglect extending to denial of food and warmth.