Diagnóstico del SGICH en la ECVC

A range of literature (Munyi, 2012, Edwardraj et al., 2010, McCabe, 2007) has shown how traditional beliefs have perpetuated the belief in witchcraft in many developing countries leading to the families with children with

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disabilities facing difficulties in their daily lives. These beliefs, coupled with the patriarchal family systems in most sub-Saharan African countries, have made the lives of most mothers of children with disabilities very hard.

A recurring theme expressed by eleven (five from Lusaka and six from Kaoma) mothers across the urban-rural divide and across the age groups was that their children were bewitched. Across both sites the mothers who mainly spoke of witchcraft were those whose child had cerebral palsy, autism and Down’s syndrome. Bo ma Shenda [K], a 40 year-old mother of a child with Down’s syndrome said:

Bo ma Shenda [K]: people were jealous of me and that’s why they bewitched my daughter […] they were jealous because I’m happily married and lived well with my husband.

Bo ma Barbara [K], a 40 year-old mother of a child with cerebral palsy, also mentioned jealousy as the reason people bewitch others. She noted that they were jealous during pregnancy and they tried to harm the unborn baby but God protected the child and hence they could only succeed in bewitching her after it was born. One mother succinctly stated:

Bo ma Charity [K]: disability that results from witchcraft is only possible after the child is born. If it is witchcraft, the condition is hard to cure […] because their aim is to kill […] the child is born normal then when they reach a certain age they start getting sick and from that point they start changing […] when that happens then it is a sign that the child has been bewitched.

The mothers who believed in witchcraft also reported that the other reason people bewitch is because they want to use a child in rituals. Four out of fifteen mothers from Lusaka reported that people suspected them of using their child with disabilities to boost their businesses. For instance, one mother stated:

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Faggy [L]: people were accusing me of using my 2 disabled children in my business […] there was a lot of talking.

Some mothers believed this to be true in some cases. For example, Fortunate [L], whose education level was grade nine, reported that some parents bewitch their own children and use them along with charms to attract more clients to their business. All this is allegedly done in order to get rich quickly. Her views were supported by Dorcas [L], who had no formal education; she stated:

Dorcas [L]: yes, some parents sacrifice their children to Satanism so that they can prosper […] putting their disabled child into their business.

The belief was that children with disabilities had supernatural powers to attract customers. One mother succinctly remarked:

Emma [L]: yes, some parents do that, they use charms so their child can become disabled and then these would use supernatural powers to attract customers to their business. The more severe the condition of a child, the more successful the business will be. The traditional healer also confirmed it. According to another mother:

Esther [L]:I was told that someone within the family was using her in business and that she goes to the graveyard […] her condition will get worse, she will be drooling and when that happens, then she will be bringing in more money into business.

The belief that the child was bewitched because of jealousy was a common thread in the accounts of mothers from Kaoma across all age groups. From the accounts above, it was clear that most participants from Kaoma considered themselves able to identify conditions that were due to witchcraft. This view was shared across all age groups. However, this was not the case with the participants from Lusaka; none of them mentioned jealousy as a

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reason for witchcraft. It was, however, evident that mothers from Lusaka believed that not only did other people bewitch children, but some parents did it too. They also believed that a child with disabilities could be used to boost business.

My study findings expand on (McNally and Mannan, 2013) study on cultural beliefs about disabilities in Tanzania that identified ignorance, neglect, witchcraft and belief in supernatural forces as some of the socio-cultural factors that are seen as causing disability. Further, findings of a study by Gona et al. (2015) in Kenya on the perspectives of parents and professionals on the causes of autism reveals that autistic children were believed to possess a spirit that enables parents to have money. Other scholars such as Hartley et al. (2005) attribute such negative attitudes to a lack of knowledge, and strongly entrenched traditional and social norms that are prevalent especially among the less educated in some developing countries. Thwala et al.’s (2015) study participants in Namibia associated their child’s disability to witchcraft. My study was the first in Zambia and it revealed that lack of accurate information culminated into beliefs that disability was caused by witchcraft. These beliefs were common particularly amongst those with lower levels of education.

Seven (three from Lusaka and four from Kaoma) out of thirty mothers believed that eating certain types of food such as the yolk of an egg, when pregnant could also cause disability. One mother stated:

Bo ma Gideon [K]: I have grown up knowing that certain types of food such as a yolk of an egg are not good for pregnant women.

The same group of mothers (three from Lusaka and four from Kaoma) further spoke about the link between quarrelling and disability:

Bo ma Namutondo [K]: it is important that people who are pregnant avoid picking quarrels with their in-laws because

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this affects the unborn child. There is a high risk of having a disabled baby.

This type of reasoning appeared to be common among mothers from rural Kaoma and the high-density areas of Lusaka. The findings highlighted a link between knowledge (beliefs) of the causes of disabilities and socioeconomic status. Participants from a low socio-economic status were superstitious. Mothers from a high socio-economic status in terms of educational background and residential areas, were asked how they perceived their child’s challenges and what their understanding of the child’s troubles were. Four mothers (all from Lusaka) who either had professional jobs or worked as volunteers in disabled peoples organisations (DPOs) rejected the notion that disability was caused by witchcraft. One mother said:

Chilinda [L] there are a lot of misconceptions about disability among families of disabled children. Some rush into believing that the child was bewitched. Disability isn’t caused by witchcraft, these are physiological conditions.

Similarly, Astridah [L], an activist for people with disabilities, explained that she knew that disability was not due to witchcraft, and that she did not even believe in traditional medicine as a way to curing her son’s condition. Another mother who had a university degree, remarked:

Tandiwe [L]: those who believe in witchcraft do not take time to read, because there is a lot of literature on the causes of disability. I do research to find out what the causes are, the effects and things like that […] it requires effort to know these things.

It was evident that mothers from a high socio-economic group took time to research their child’s disability. Hence, they did not believe in witchcraft. Overall, it was clear that most participants had multi-causal explanations to explain their child’s condition. The mothers who were drawing on socio- cultural factors took the view that witchcraft was the main cause of disability especially conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism and Down’s syndrome.

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Mothers with a high socio-economic status, such as those with professional jobs believed that disability was due to neuro-scientific factors. Mothers also believed that God gave them the child with disabilities. This view is explored further in the next sub-section.