Tag Archives: infanticide

NEW BOOK RELEASE: ‘Spirit Children’ by Aaron Denham

Image from University of Wisconsin Press

Spirit Children: Illness, Poverty, and Infanticide in Northern Ghana

In parts of West Africa, some babies and toddlers are considered spirit children—nonhumans sent from the forest to cause misfortune and destroy the family. These are usually deformed or ailing infants, the very young whose births coincide with tragic events, or children who display unusual abilities. In some of these cases, families seek a solution in infanticide. Many others do not.

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