Introduction: Background and Context
Fostering children is a pivotal aspect of the mobility observed across the African continent and within African diaspora communities. Child fostering includes domestic, educational, alliance, apprenticeship, crisis, and primarily kinship arrangements (Isiugo-Abanihe 1985), whereby a child lives with adults who are not their biological parents. This practice is widespread in sub‐Saharan Africa and has increasingly spread to the West among diaspora communities due to various social and economic factors, underscoring the fluidity and adaptability of familial relationships.
Fostering practices in Africa and the West differ significantly. In Western contexts, ‘foster care’ refers to formal arrangements established through child welfare agencies, whereas in non-Western cultures, ‘child fostering’ often refers to informal, kinship-based care, reflecting longstanding cultural traditions and practices. Such arrangements facilitate the movement of children between rural and urban households, strengthen support networks, and involve ad hoc agreements for assistance during economic hardships (Marazyan 2015, 89).
Moreover, increased child mobility has raised serious concerns regarding exploitation, trafficking, and abuse, particularly when vulnerable children are placed with strangers or in unfamiliar settings, thereby prompting restrictive policies on child movement.
It is in this aspect that this paper addresses the abuses and violence linked to faith-based cruelty linked to esoteric beliefs, notably witchcraft. Esotericism lacks a single, universal definition and displays differences across various cultures, languages, and symbolic systems (Zander 2021). In the context of this current study, esoteric beliefs encompass a wide range of spiritual, mystical, and occult traditions and practices meant for understanding, accessing, or engaging with a limited, initiated, or specially trained group of individuals rather than the general public.
High-profile cases involving privately fostered or trafficked African children—such as those of Victoria Climbié, Adam’ Ikpomwosa’, and Child B—illustrate the abuses linked to witchcraft and other esoteric beliefs, further exacerbating public concerns (Laming 2003; Wells 2017). These cases raised public concerns about what was happening within African communities, leading to a form of community shaming that makes people less likely to report suspected exploitation for fear of further reinforcing negative stereotypes.
Consider esoteric beliefs, like witchcraft, which have spurred child witchcraft accusations in the UK, reflecting a broader issue. How did these beliefs arise? This trend is linked to migrant communities, particularly the Pentecostal movement, highlighting religion’s role. Similarly, the influence of esoteric beliefs in extremism can also be traced to minority communities. Incidents of witch accusations in the UK, especially in London, involve various ethnic migrant minorities. Thus, religious transnationalism plays a crucial role in international migration (Levitt 2001).
Research Gap
The current literature on child fostering largely overlooks the complex interplay between esoteric beliefs and cultural practices within diaspora communities and their effects on child welfare and integration.
Objectives
- To analyse the cultural conflicts inherent in fostering practices among African diaspora communities.
- To assess how these practices, influenced by witchcraft and other esoteric beliefs, impact the well-being of child migrants.
Methodology and Theoretical Framework
The study adopts a qualitative case study approach, employing observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 10 diaspora parents and religious leaders from neo-Pentecostal circles in France and the United Kingdom. This method aims to explore the personal and communal impacts of spiritual beliefs on fostering practices. Neo-Pentecostal communities were selected for their clear demonstration of religious transnationalism, as they maintain cross-border networks, rituals, and cultural ties. This theoretical framework helps explain how continuous religious practices support migrants’ adaptation to new environments while preserving connections to their native cultures (Levitt 2003, 567; Bava 2011, 500).
Research Questions
- How do the cases of Climbié and Ikpomwosa illustrate the influence of esoteric beliefs in fostering decisions and practices within African diaspora communities?
- What are the ramifications of esoteric beliefs for the social integration and psychological well-being of child migrants?
Significance
This study aims to bridge this gap in understanding the role of esoteric beliefs in fostering practices among African diaspora communities. By highlighting the unique challenges faced by child migrants, this study seeks to inform more culturally sensitive policies and interventions that enhance child protection and support within migrant communities, offering critical insights for social workers, policymakers, and community leaders.
References
Isiugo-Abanihe, Uche C. “Child Fosterage in West Africa.” Population and Development Review 11, no. 1 (March 1985): 55-58.
Laming, Lord. The Victoria Climbié Inquiry: Report of an Inquiry by Lord Laming (Cm 5730, 2003).
Levitt, Peggy. The Transnational Villagers. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2001.
Levitt, Peggy, Josh DeWind, and Steven Vertovec. “International Perspectives on Transnational Migration: An Introduction.” The International Migration Review 37, no. 3 (Fall 2003): 567.
Marazyan, Karine. “Foster Children’s Educational Outcomes when Child Fostering is Motivated by Norms: The Case of Cameroon.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies 46, no. 1 (Winter 2015): 89.
Wells, Karen. “Globalising Child Circulation: The Care of Children Who Are Privately Fostered Across International Borders.” In Children, Young People and Care, edited by John Horton and Michelle Pyer, 218-233. Oxon: Routledge, 2017.
Zander, Helmut. “What Is Esotericism? Does It Exist? How Can It Be Understood?” In Occult Roots of Religious Studies, by Yves Mühlematter and Helmut Zander, 14-43. Berlin: De Gruyter Oldenbourg, 2021.
Abstract
This study investigates how fostering practices within African diaspora communities, viewed through the framework of religious transnationalism, impact child migrants. It examines the severe consequences of cultural and spiritual conflicts through the tragic case studies of Victoria Climbié and Adam ‘Ikpomwosa’, whose torso was discovered in the River Thames, with a particular focus on esoteric beliefs and witchcraft. The study addresses a gap in existing literature by analysing how these beliefs affect child welfare and integration. Using a qualitative case study approach, the research gathers insights from diaspora parents and religious leaders in France and the UK. The findings aim to inform culturally sensitive policies that enhance child protection within migrant communities.