March 5, 2025 • 24 mins
Join us for an informative International Women's Day 2025 episode where we explore this year's theme: "Accelerate Action." We're shining a light on a global crisis often hidden from headlines - women and girls being accused of witchcraft, subjected to violence, exiled from their communities, and even killed.
Discover how International Women's Day initiatives have already made tangible progress in combating these human rights violations. Since launching our podcast in 2022, we've covered heartbreaking realities affecting women worldwide, and today we'll connect the core meaning of International Women's Day directly to ongoing advocacy efforts against modern witchcraft accusations.
This episode provides essential information to help you connect and amplify your voice for change. Join us to discover the power of collective action and how International Women's Day is still accelerating progress for vulnerable women across the globe.
#InternationalWomensDay #WomenEmpowerment #GenderEquality #HumanRights #WitchHuntPodcast #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction
Witch Hunt Episode: Witchcraft Accusations and Gender Inequality with Dr. Samantha Spence
Witch Hunt Episode: Women and Witch Trials with Ann Little
Maryland House Joint Resolution 2
MD Witch Exoneration Project Website
Sign the Massachusetts Petition
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to Witch Hunt podcast, special episode for
International Women's Day 2025. I'm Josh Hutchinson.
And I'm Sarah Jack, thanks for joining us for International
Women's Day episode. The theme this year is
Accelerate Action. Around the world right now,
women and girls are being accused of witchcraft, torn from
(00:21):
their homes, beaten, exiled, andkilled.
Today, we're diving into how International Women's Day has
already made a real difference in this fight, and you'll find
out exactly how in this episode.That's right, When we started
this podcast together in 2022, Inever imagined the reality we'd
uncover. Stories that rarely make
(00:43):
headlines but are happening in communities across the globe.
Today, we'll explain what's behind the meaning of
International Women's Day and connected directly to how it has
accelerated action in advocacy against modern witchcraft
accusations. We'll share what's been
happening on the ground, the campaigns that are working, and
(01:04):
the women who are taking action,whose voices we need to listen
to carefully. This podcast is not just a
collection of discussions, it's a tool kit of information.
Today's episode will be useful to you for advocating for
yourself as a woman. And if you're not a woman, it's
a toolkit of information that will be useful to you to
advocate for gender equality. When you understand human
(01:28):
rights, women's rights, you'll find your voice.
Stay with us and discover how powerful that voice can be.
Sarah, what is International Women's Day?
International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th
and honors women's achievements across all aspects of life,
(01:49):
social, economic, cultural, and political, while advocating for
gender equality worldwide. It's more than just a
celebration, and it represents acall to action for accelerating
gender equality and provides a crucial platform for community
engagement, progress, reflection, and commitment to
(02:10):
positive change. Let's take a look at some key
moments in international women'sday's evolution.
In 1857, women textile workers in New York City marched on
March 8th, protesting unfair working conditions and demanding
equal rights. In 1910, Clara Zetkin proposed
(02:33):
the idea of an International Women's Day at the second
International Socialist Women's Conference, receiving unanimous
support from women representing 17 countries.
A year later, in 1911, the firstInternational Women's Day was
marked across Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with
over 1,000,000 participants. In 1917, women in Russia staged
(02:59):
a strike for Bread and peace, protesting food shortages and
war conditions. Jumping to 1975, the United
Nations officially recognized International Women's Day,
declaring 1975 as International Women's Year.
In 1996, the United Nations launched its first International
(03:20):
Women's Day theme celebrating the past, Planning for the
Future. In 2001, the International
Women's Day website launched as a free resource hub to grow
mainstream awareness. Please check that out and that
website is international womensday.com in. 2010 the
(03:41):
United Nations established UN Women, its gender equality body.
Let's talk about the 20s. In 2020, the Witches of Scotland
campaign was launched by Claire Mitchell QC and Zoe Fedotzi.
The campaign has three apes to obtain a pardon for those
convicted as witches under the Witchcraft Act 1563 in Scotland,
(04:05):
to obtain an apology for all those accused and to obtain a
National Memorial to remember those killed as witches.
In 2022, Scotland First MinisterNicola Sturgeon acknowledged
innocent victims of the witch trials, she said.
Today on International Women's Day.
As First Minister, on behalf of the Scottish Government, I am
(04:27):
choosing to acknowledge that egregious historic injustice and
extend a formal posthumous apology to all of those accused,
convicted, vilified or executed under the Witchcraft Act of
1563. In May of 2022, the Church of
Scotland apologized. In July 2022, Elizabeth Johnson
(04:50):
Junior was exonerated in Massachusetts.
And in 2022, our podcast launched to fight for the
exoneration of Connecticut witchtrial victims.
Our grandmothers were arrested for accusations of diabolical
witchcraft in colonial America. That same year, we formed in
(05:11):
Witch Hunt's nonprofit. And in 2023, our podcast
participated for the first time in International Women's Day,
interviewing Dr. Anne Little. Also in 2023, Witch Hunt Podcast
began, our first in a continuingseries of interviews with women
(05:32):
who are advocating against modern day witchcraft
accusations. 2023 saw Connecticut exonerating 9 women
hanged for witchcraft in colonial Connecticut.
In 2024, IT Witch Hunts travelled to talk about witch
trials exoneration in the UnitedStates at 2 universities in
(05:53):
England. And this year, 2025, seventy, 8%
of our listeners are women and 24 percent of our listeners are
in countries outside the US. In 2025, exoneration legislation
has been introduced in Massachusetts and Maryland to
clear the names of women accusedof witchcraft in the colonial
(06:15):
period. Also this year, Witches of
Scotland has released a special tartan for the women accused of
witchcraft under the Witchcraft Act of 1563.
It's a living memorial and its pattern and colors represent
that history and those women, and the world is excited about
(06:37):
it. They even got it down to the
specific stitch count to represent the numbers of people
who were accused and the years of persecution.
Congratulations, which is a Scotland for your success and we
expect more. Let's talk about International
(07:00):
Women's Day today. From grassroots activism to
global celebration, it has growninto a powerful worldwide
movement with significant mainstream awareness.
It continues to be marked by diverse group in vastly
different ways. We're marking it with our
podcast and all are equally valid and impactful efforts.
(07:23):
Sarah, could you tell our audience how they can
participate in International Women's Day this year?
You can support women focused charities like our organization
which is a proud member of the International Women's Day
community. You can donate to us through End
Witch hunts.org/donate and you're helping us to educate
(07:45):
about false accusations of witchcraft against women and
supporting advocacy for those affected by this form of gender
based violence. So why is International Women's
Day so important? It's a recognition that gender
inequality persists through pervasive mechanisms for medical
research centered on male bodies, to products designed
(08:07):
without women in mind, to the unequal distribution of
invisible household labor, to linguistic biases that normalize
male dominance, to workplace dynamics that systematically
undervalue women's contributionsand potential.
These structural inequalities provide context for
understanding another dimension of gender based persecution the
(08:29):
way societies have historically and still do, vilify and attack
women through baseless accusations of witchcraft and
diabolical power. International Women's Day is
truly inclusive. All participation helps ensure
that progress toward equality remains on the global agenda and
positive actions prevail. For example, in 2021 on
(08:54):
International Women's Day, the Witches of Scotland launched
their podcast. And on the same day in 2022,
Scotland's first minister acknowledged innocent victims of
their witch trials. And then in 2023, Witch Hunt
Podcast participated for the first time in International
Women's Day. Why is International Women's Day
(09:16):
so significant to the campaigns working to have innocent victims
of witch hunts acknowledged? Well, witchcraft accusations are
not widely acknowledged as a problem for women, but this is a
good opportunity to get attention to this important
matter. What have we covered on previous
International Women's Day? In our first International
(09:38):
Women's Day Special, Professor Anne Little reminded us that
though much progress remains to be made to achieve equality for
women, society has made a great deal of progress since the days
of our grandmothers and their grandmothers.
And now here's the highlight from our episode with Doctor
Little. Women can vote.
Women can organize. Women can run for the House, the
(10:00):
Senate, Congress, whatever. Yeah, absolutely.
And I think that young. People are too easily.
Talked out. Of their own.
Power and self-control. And I think we.
At least what I try to do as a professor is to try to talk.
People up. And give them encouragement and
(10:20):
go try to. Get them to see.
Really how great things are certainly compared to their
great grandmothers and their great, great grandmothers
generations. And even then, that wasn't so
bad compared to, I don't know, Salem 1692, where the only power
that some of those young women felt was the power to tear
somebody down, right? To bring down an older, maybe
(10:40):
more authoritative woman. Now, young women have the power
to get as much education as theywant, to do anything they want
to get, any kind of job they want, to travel anywhere they
want. And I think that we need to
remind them of that. And what a unique and marvelous
thing that is. International Women's Day 2024
was themed Inspire Inclusion andwe invited Doctor Samantha
(11:03):
Spence. She demonstrated how
intersectional approaches are crucial for addressing the
diverse experiences of women accused of witchcraft,
considering factors such as age,economic status, and cultural
background. This involves tailoring support
services to meet the specific needs of these women.
And now here's a highlight from our episode with Samantha
(11:25):
Spence. Another thing that's key is
supporting health and well-beingbecause access to healthcare,
including sexual and reproductive healthcare
services, is vital for women. Health and well-being and in
many places the barriers and stigmas attached that women
don't receive this care. We need to promote this.
And this year's campaign theme is Accelerate Action.
(11:49):
And as you've heard, International Women's Day is a
collective movement, so collectively we can accelerate
action for gender equality. Deed.
It'll take all of us. The International Women's Day
organization is reporting that at the current rate of progress,
it will take until 2158, which is roughly 5 generations from
(12:11):
now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from
the World Economic Forum. So This is why we need to
accelerate action. Focusing on the need to
accelerate action emphasizes theimportance of taking swift and
decisive steps to achieve genderequality.
It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the
(12:35):
systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in
personal and in professional spheres.
Now, we would like to share whatwe've heard from our experts and
how women are affected by witchcraft accusations today.
Expert guests noted that women are disproportionately targeted
in witch hunts and face social exclusion, economic
(12:57):
marginalization, family disruption, psychological
trauma, and physical violence. Limited status, loss of status,
loss of property, loss of security, and loss of reputation
are also impacts that disproportionately affect women
and girls. Expert guests also emphasized
the importance of exoneration and formal acknowledgement to
(13:18):
counteract these facts. You can hear stories of these
experiences and the impacts of witchcraft accusations on women
in our previous episodes. As individuals, we should be
doing many things to accelerate action.
You need to talk about it, publish about it, create events
around it, and donate efforts tosupport it through.
(13:42):
Our expert interviews, we pulledtogether a collection of voices
that no one else has collected. From scores of highly educated
women who have dedicated their professional careers to
accelerating action for women, we have learned that women can
accelerate action against inequality.
Gender based violence and accusations of witchcraft by
employing multifaceted strategies that challenge
(14:05):
societal norms, empower women, and foster supportive
communities. Now we're going to talk about
those strategies that we learnedabout in our podcast.
Methods for accelerating action include challenging gender norms
and stereotypes by promoting positive representation of women
in media, education, and popularculture to challenge harmful
(14:27):
stereotypes that perpetuate inequality.
And that's something we're hearing about on social media
every day. Yes, another method for
accelerating action for women isto promote inclusivity and
social justice for everyone to especially benefit women.
(14:49):
And as men, we need to be good allies and promote inclusivity
and social justice for women in all of our actions.
And we should challenge our own gender norms and stereotypes and
beliefs. We need everybody.
Men can be part of the problem, but they're also part of the
solution and we need that. We need everybody to work
together, because if everybody'snot working together, then
(15:12):
you're not going to win this battle.
And that's what we need, a more holistic approach of everybody
on the same page. Our legal experts have told us
that we need to enforce laws that criminalize harmful
practices and ensure accountability for perpetrators
of violence against women, including against women accused
of witchcraft. Another way that we can all help
(15:34):
is to engage in awareness campaigns and educational
initiatives that dispel myths, challenge stigma, and promote
understanding of the harms of witchcraft, accusations and
other forms of gender based violence.
We can also support and amplify the voices of women's
organizations, grassroots leaders and advocates working to
(15:57):
combat gender based violence andwitchcraft accusations at the
local level. That means using your platform
to amplify. Use your voice to help promote
the economic empowerment of women through equipping them
with tools and resources to achieve financial independence
and stable livelihoods, enhancing their self esteem and
(16:19):
agency. A very key support that women
need, especially who have been accused of witchcraft, is mental
health support. We need to support programs that
ensure access to mental health services, counseling and peer
support groups around the world and in local communities to help
(16:40):
women heal from trauma, rebuild self esteem, and develop coping
strategies and community. We all also should be promoting
female leadership, supporting women's representation and
leadership in all spheres of society, amplifying their voices
and influence in decision makingprocesses.
Having women in. Leadership just shows.
(17:02):
That actually this can be done, this isn't impossible.
To those people that are being told constantly that it is
impossible and the mere presenceof a woman in a leadership role
sends a powerful message that actually they can do this and
that gender based violence needsto be addressed.
(17:22):
It empowers other women. We welcome men to come in.
It's very important that you also get involved in this
because you can't make changes in a patriarchal society without
buy in from the patriarchs. We have lots of men ally
(17:43):
advocates on witch hunt podcasts, so be sure to listen
to their episodes to see how that's done.
It's true, women have been fighting for equality for
centuries and still do not have it.
Women are not witches, but they are often accused of witchcraft
as a form of social control and dehumanization.
(18:05):
Understanding the historical andsociological factors that
contribute to witchcraft accusations can help develop
more effective strategies for prevention and intervention.
As we speak right now, the United Nations Human Rights
Council is hosting its annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland,
and Sarah is going to share us share with us a press release
(18:28):
from human rights experts addressed to the United States.
Our organization and Witch huntssupports this call for action.
The new US administration must recommit to human rights at home
and abroad. UN human rights experts today
expressed concerns about the newUS administration's recent
(18:49):
actions that undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms
at both domestic and international levels and harm
the UN Charter based international order and called
to the United States as well as the international community to
recommit to human rights. They issued the following
statement as government leaders and representatives from all
(19:10):
over the world gather in Geneva this week for the 58th session
of the Human Rights Council. We are concerned by the attempts
of the new US administration to weaken domestic human rights
protections, harm the international human rights and
humanitarian systems, roll back decades of progress on gender
equality, and undermine international institutions and
(19:32):
civil society worldwide. We call on all states to
reaffirm their full commitment to the multilateral
international order with human rights and freedoms at its core,
and to demonstrate their readiness to defend it.
We are alarmed by the United States escalating attacks on the
international architecture of human rights, the rule of law,
(19:52):
multilateralism, the principles of sovereign equality and self
determination, and vital international agreements on
peace and security. Climate change.
Global justice and internationalcooperation rather than
weakening it, the United States must play a pivotal role in
strengthening the multilateral system and its institutions,
with the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human
(20:15):
Rights at its core that it was instrumental in Co creating.
The UN Charter prohibits the threat of use of force against
the territorial integrity and political independence of member
states. Threats to reclaim the Panama
Canal, take over and own Gaza byforcibly expelling the
Palestinian population, make extortionate demands in Ukraine
(20:36):
for its critical minerals as a price for support to resist
Russia's war of aggression or gain control of Greenland and
autonomous territory of Denmark are blatantly illegal acts under
international law. Any attempt to undermine the
territorial integrity of sovereign States and the
inalienable right to self determination of peoples of
those states should stop. We are deeply concerned by the
(20:59):
abrupt decisions of the United States to withdraw from the
Paris Agreement as well as international institutions such
as the Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization,
and to review its participation in the United Nations and other
international organizations. The US decision to use these
sanctions against the International Criminal Court and
its personnel and to threaten anyone who collaborates with
(21:22):
them is a direct attempt to weaken the rule of international
law, human rights and global justice. the United States is
also cutting international assistance dramatically,
including by eliminating agencies such as USAID and
ceasing funding to the United Nations Relief Work Agency for
Palestine refugees in the Near East.
(21:43):
All these actions have already had and will continue to have
serious real world impacts affecting the lives, well-being,
livelihoods and human rights of hundreds of millions of people,
including the most vulnerable ormarginalized populations.
These regressive actions are nothappening in a vacuum, but take
place alongside an active undermining of respect for human
(22:06):
rights within the United States.We are dismayed at the US
administration's firing of independent justice officials,
failure to fully comply with court orders, the rollback of
policies and programs on climatechange, as well as equality,
inclusion, and diversity. Retrogressions to the human
rights of women and girls. The demonization of transgender
people, persecution and forced deportation of migrants.
(22:29):
Threats to journalists, students, and freedom of
expression more generally. Censoring and removal of public
information and lack of transparency and blatant
disregard of public accountability for its actions.
We are also distressed by the problematic role of leading
business actors in the US administration who are exerting
undue influence without any mechanisms to prevent conflicts
(22:52):
of interest. This opens the door to corporate
capture of the US government andfurther weakens the independent
responsibility of businesses andother private entities to
respect human rights and the environment.
In today's globalized and multi polar world, no country can
function without international cooperation and respect for
international law. Collective actions premised upon
(23:13):
mutual respect and internationalsolidarity are required to
overcome pressing global challenges.
We urge the US Administration toreconsider its policies,
particularly in light of its ownhistory.
With struggles for freedom and equality and its valuable
contributions to the UN Charter,the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and the current multilateral system, now more
(23:35):
than ever, it is the time for States, civil society,
businesses, and all people who believe in the value of rule of
international law, justice, human rights, peace and
security, and sustainable development to come together to
vehemently defend these core values and the institutions that
safeguard them. We remain ready to work
(23:56):
constructively with the United States and other states to
create a world that is safe, peaceful, just, equal,
inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous for everyone.
We hope you enjoyed this episodeand recommend it to your friends
and family by sharing the link. We'd like to thank all the women
mentioned today for their contributions to gender equality
(24:18):
to the fight against witchcraft accusations into our podcast
Witch Hunt. We dedicate this episode to
those suffering and dying due togender inequality worldwide.
If you would like to support.ourworkpleaseconsidermakingadonation@endwitchhunts.org/donate.
Have a great today and accelerate action so all of us
(24:42):
get to share in a beautiful tomorrow.
Welcome to Witch Hunt podcast, special episode for
International Women's Day 2025. I'm Josh Hutchinson.
And I'm Sarah Jack, thanks for joining us for International
Women's Day episode. The theme this year is
Accelerate Action. Around the world right now,
women and girls are being accused of witchcraft, torn from
(00:21):
their homes, beaten, exiled, andkilled.
Today, we're diving into how International Women's Day has
already made a real difference in this fight, and you'll find
out exactly how in this episode.That's right, When we started
this podcast together in 2022, Inever imagined the reality we'd
uncover. Stories that rarely make
(00:43):
headlines but are happening in communities across the globe.
Today, we'll explain what's behind the meaning of
International Women's Day and connected directly to how it has
accelerated action in advocacy against modern witchcraft
accusations. We'll share what's been
happening on the ground, the campaigns that are working, and
(01:04):
the women who are taking action,whose voices we need to listen
to carefully. This podcast is not just a
collection of discussions, it's a tool kit of information.
Today's episode will be useful to you for advocating for
yourself as a woman. And if you're not a woman, it's
a toolkit of information that will be useful to you to
advocate for gender equality. When you understand human
(01:28):
rights, women's rights, you'll find your voice.
Stay with us and discover how powerful that voice can be.
Sarah, what is International Women's Day?
International Women's Day is celebrated annually on March 8th
and honors women's achievements across all aspects of life,
(01:49):
social, economic, cultural, and political, while advocating for
gender equality worldwide. It's more than just a
celebration, and it represents acall to action for accelerating
gender equality and provides a crucial platform for community
engagement, progress, reflection, and commitment to
(02:10):
positive change. Let's take a look at some key
moments in international women'sday's evolution.
In 1857, women textile workers in New York City marched on
March 8th, protesting unfair working conditions and demanding
equal rights. In 1910, Clara Zetkin proposed
(02:33):
the idea of an International Women's Day at the second
International Socialist Women's Conference, receiving unanimous
support from women representing 17 countries.
A year later, in 1911, the firstInternational Women's Day was
marked across Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with
over 1,000,000 participants. In 1917, women in Russia staged
(02:59):
a strike for Bread and peace, protesting food shortages and
war conditions. Jumping to 1975, the United
Nations officially recognized International Women's Day,
declaring 1975 as International Women's Year.
In 1996, the United Nations launched its first International
(03:20):
Women's Day theme celebrating the past, Planning for the
Future. In 2001, the International
Women's Day website launched as a free resource hub to grow
mainstream awareness. Please check that out and that
website is international womensday.com in. 2010 the
(03:41):
United Nations established UN Women, its gender equality body.
Let's talk about the 20s. In 2020, the Witches of Scotland
campaign was launched by Claire Mitchell QC and Zoe Fedotzi.
The campaign has three apes to obtain a pardon for those
convicted as witches under the Witchcraft Act 1563 in Scotland,
(04:05):
to obtain an apology for all those accused and to obtain a
National Memorial to remember those killed as witches.
In 2022, Scotland First MinisterNicola Sturgeon acknowledged
innocent victims of the witch trials, she said.
Today on International Women's Day.
As First Minister, on behalf of the Scottish Government, I am
(04:27):
choosing to acknowledge that egregious historic injustice and
extend a formal posthumous apology to all of those accused,
convicted, vilified or executed under the Witchcraft Act of
1563. In May of 2022, the Church of
Scotland apologized. In July 2022, Elizabeth Johnson
(04:50):
Junior was exonerated in Massachusetts.
And in 2022, our podcast launched to fight for the
exoneration of Connecticut witchtrial victims.
Our grandmothers were arrested for accusations of diabolical
witchcraft in colonial America. That same year, we formed in
(05:11):
Witch Hunt's nonprofit. And in 2023, our podcast
participated for the first time in International Women's Day,
interviewing Dr. Anne Little. Also in 2023, Witch Hunt Podcast
began, our first in a continuingseries of interviews with women
(05:32):
who are advocating against modern day witchcraft
accusations. 2023 saw Connecticut exonerating 9 women
hanged for witchcraft in colonial Connecticut.
In 2024, IT Witch Hunts travelled to talk about witch
trials exoneration in the UnitedStates at 2 universities in
(05:53):
England. And this year, 2025, seventy, 8%
of our listeners are women and 24 percent of our listeners are
in countries outside the US. In 2025, exoneration legislation
has been introduced in Massachusetts and Maryland to
clear the names of women accusedof witchcraft in the colonial
(06:15):
period. Also this year, Witches of
Scotland has released a special tartan for the women accused of
witchcraft under the Witchcraft Act of 1563.
It's a living memorial and its pattern and colors represent
that history and those women, and the world is excited about
(06:37):
it. They even got it down to the
specific stitch count to represent the numbers of people
who were accused and the years of persecution.
Congratulations, which is a Scotland for your success and we
expect more. Let's talk about International
(07:00):
Women's Day today. From grassroots activism to
global celebration, it has growninto a powerful worldwide
movement with significant mainstream awareness.
It continues to be marked by diverse group in vastly
different ways. We're marking it with our
podcast and all are equally valid and impactful efforts.
(07:23):
Sarah, could you tell our audience how they can
participate in International Women's Day this year?
You can support women focused charities like our organization
which is a proud member of the International Women's Day
community. You can donate to us through End
Witch hunts.org/donate and you're helping us to educate
(07:45):
about false accusations of witchcraft against women and
supporting advocacy for those affected by this form of gender
based violence. So why is International Women's
Day so important? It's a recognition that gender
inequality persists through pervasive mechanisms for medical
research centered on male bodies, to products designed
(08:07):
without women in mind, to the unequal distribution of
invisible household labor, to linguistic biases that normalize
male dominance, to workplace dynamics that systematically
undervalue women's contributionsand potential.
These structural inequalities provide context for
understanding another dimension of gender based persecution the
(08:29):
way societies have historically and still do, vilify and attack
women through baseless accusations of witchcraft and
diabolical power. International Women's Day is
truly inclusive. All participation helps ensure
that progress toward equality remains on the global agenda and
positive actions prevail. For example, in 2021 on
(08:54):
International Women's Day, the Witches of Scotland launched
their podcast. And on the same day in 2022,
Scotland's first minister acknowledged innocent victims of
their witch trials. And then in 2023, Witch Hunt
Podcast participated for the first time in International
Women's Day. Why is International Women's Day
(09:16):
so significant to the campaigns working to have innocent victims
of witch hunts acknowledged? Well, witchcraft accusations are
not widely acknowledged as a problem for women, but this is a
good opportunity to get attention to this important
matter. What have we covered on previous
International Women's Day? In our first International
(09:38):
Women's Day Special, Professor Anne Little reminded us that
though much progress remains to be made to achieve equality for
women, society has made a great deal of progress since the days
of our grandmothers and their grandmothers.
And now here's the highlight from our episode with Doctor
Little. Women can vote.
Women can organize. Women can run for the House, the
(10:00):
Senate, Congress, whatever. Yeah, absolutely.
And I think that young. People are too easily.
Talked out. Of their own.
Power and self-control. And I think we.
At least what I try to do as a professor is to try to talk.
People up. And give them encouragement and
(10:20):
go try to. Get them to see.
Really how great things are certainly compared to their
great grandmothers and their great, great grandmothers
generations. And even then, that wasn't so
bad compared to, I don't know, Salem 1692, where the only power
that some of those young women felt was the power to tear
somebody down, right? To bring down an older, maybe
(10:40):
more authoritative woman. Now, young women have the power
to get as much education as theywant, to do anything they want
to get, any kind of job they want, to travel anywhere they
want. And I think that we need to
remind them of that. And what a unique and marvelous
thing that is. International Women's Day 2024
was themed Inspire Inclusion andwe invited Doctor Samantha
(11:03):
Spence. She demonstrated how
intersectional approaches are crucial for addressing the
diverse experiences of women accused of witchcraft,
considering factors such as age,economic status, and cultural
background. This involves tailoring support
services to meet the specific needs of these women.
And now here's a highlight from our episode with Samantha
(11:25):
Spence. Another thing that's key is
supporting health and well-beingbecause access to healthcare,
including sexual and reproductive healthcare
services, is vital for women. Health and well-being and in
many places the barriers and stigmas attached that women
don't receive this care. We need to promote this.
And this year's campaign theme is Accelerate Action.
(11:49):
And as you've heard, International Women's Day is a
collective movement, so collectively we can accelerate
action for gender equality. Deed.
It'll take all of us. The International Women's Day
organization is reporting that at the current rate of progress,
it will take until 2158, which is roughly 5 generations from
(12:11):
now, to reach full gender parity, according to data from
the World Economic Forum. So This is why we need to
accelerate action. Focusing on the need to
accelerate action emphasizes theimportance of taking swift and
decisive steps to achieve genderequality.
It calls for increased momentum and urgency in addressing the
(12:35):
systemic barriers and biases that women face, both in
personal and in professional spheres.
Now, we would like to share whatwe've heard from our experts and
how women are affected by witchcraft accusations today.
Expert guests noted that women are disproportionately targeted
in witch hunts and face social exclusion, economic
(12:57):
marginalization, family disruption, psychological
trauma, and physical violence. Limited status, loss of status,
loss of property, loss of security, and loss of reputation
are also impacts that disproportionately affect women
and girls. Expert guests also emphasized
the importance of exoneration and formal acknowledgement to
(13:18):
counteract these facts. You can hear stories of these
experiences and the impacts of witchcraft accusations on women
in our previous episodes. As individuals, we should be
doing many things to accelerate action.
You need to talk about it, publish about it, create events
around it, and donate efforts tosupport it through.
(13:42):
Our expert interviews, we pulledtogether a collection of voices
that no one else has collected. From scores of highly educated
women who have dedicated their professional careers to
accelerating action for women, we have learned that women can
accelerate action against inequality.
Gender based violence and accusations of witchcraft by
employing multifaceted strategies that challenge
(14:05):
societal norms, empower women, and foster supportive
communities. Now we're going to talk about
those strategies that we learnedabout in our podcast.
Methods for accelerating action include challenging gender norms
and stereotypes by promoting positive representation of women
in media, education, and popularculture to challenge harmful
(14:27):
stereotypes that perpetuate inequality.
And that's something we're hearing about on social media
every day. Yes, another method for
accelerating action for women isto promote inclusivity and
social justice for everyone to especially benefit women.
(14:49):
And as men, we need to be good allies and promote inclusivity
and social justice for women in all of our actions.
And we should challenge our own gender norms and stereotypes and
beliefs. We need everybody.
Men can be part of the problem, but they're also part of the
solution and we need that. We need everybody to work
together, because if everybody'snot working together, then
(15:12):
you're not going to win this battle.
And that's what we need, a more holistic approach of everybody
on the same page. Our legal experts have told us
that we need to enforce laws that criminalize harmful
practices and ensure accountability for perpetrators
of violence against women, including against women accused
of witchcraft. Another way that we can all help
(15:34):
is to engage in awareness campaigns and educational
initiatives that dispel myths, challenge stigma, and promote
understanding of the harms of witchcraft, accusations and
other forms of gender based violence.
We can also support and amplify the voices of women's
organizations, grassroots leaders and advocates working to
(15:57):
combat gender based violence andwitchcraft accusations at the
local level. That means using your platform
to amplify. Use your voice to help promote
the economic empowerment of women through equipping them
with tools and resources to achieve financial independence
and stable livelihoods, enhancing their self esteem and
(16:19):
agency. A very key support that women
need, especially who have been accused of witchcraft, is mental
health support. We need to support programs that
ensure access to mental health services, counseling and peer
support groups around the world and in local communities to help
(16:40):
women heal from trauma, rebuild self esteem, and develop coping
strategies and community. We all also should be promoting
female leadership, supporting women's representation and
leadership in all spheres of society, amplifying their voices
and influence in decision makingprocesses.
Having women in. Leadership just shows.
(17:02):
That actually this can be done, this isn't impossible.
To those people that are being told constantly that it is
impossible and the mere presenceof a woman in a leadership role
sends a powerful message that actually they can do this and
that gender based violence needsto be addressed.
(17:22):
It empowers other women. We welcome men to come in.
It's very important that you also get involved in this
because you can't make changes in a patriarchal society without
buy in from the patriarchs. We have lots of men ally
(17:43):
advocates on witch hunt podcasts, so be sure to listen
to their episodes to see how that's done.
It's true, women have been fighting for equality for
centuries and still do not have it.
Women are not witches, but they are often accused of witchcraft
as a form of social control and dehumanization.
(18:05):
Understanding the historical andsociological factors that
contribute to witchcraft accusations can help develop
more effective strategies for prevention and intervention.
As we speak right now, the United Nations Human Rights
Council is hosting its annual meeting in Geneva, Switzerland,
and Sarah is going to share us share with us a press release
(18:28):
from human rights experts addressed to the United States.
Our organization and Witch huntssupports this call for action.
The new US administration must recommit to human rights at home
and abroad. UN human rights experts today
expressed concerns about the newUS administration's recent
(18:49):
actions that undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms
at both domestic and international levels and harm
the UN Charter based international order and called
to the United States as well as the international community to
recommit to human rights. They issued the following
statement as government leaders and representatives from all
(19:10):
over the world gather in Geneva this week for the 58th session
of the Human Rights Council. We are concerned by the attempts
of the new US administration to weaken domestic human rights
protections, harm the international human rights and
humanitarian systems, roll back decades of progress on gender
equality, and undermine international institutions and
(19:32):
civil society worldwide. We call on all states to
reaffirm their full commitment to the multilateral
international order with human rights and freedoms at its core,
and to demonstrate their readiness to defend it.
We are alarmed by the United States escalating attacks on the
international architecture of human rights, the rule of law,
(19:52):
multilateralism, the principles of sovereign equality and self
determination, and vital international agreements on
peace and security. Climate change.
Global justice and internationalcooperation rather than
weakening it, the United States must play a pivotal role in
strengthening the multilateral system and its institutions,
with the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human
(20:15):
Rights at its core that it was instrumental in Co creating.
The UN Charter prohibits the threat of use of force against
the territorial integrity and political independence of member
states. Threats to reclaim the Panama
Canal, take over and own Gaza byforcibly expelling the
Palestinian population, make extortionate demands in Ukraine
(20:36):
for its critical minerals as a price for support to resist
Russia's war of aggression or gain control of Greenland and
autonomous territory of Denmark are blatantly illegal acts under
international law. Any attempt to undermine the
territorial integrity of sovereign States and the
inalienable right to self determination of peoples of
those states should stop. We are deeply concerned by the
(20:59):
abrupt decisions of the United States to withdraw from the
Paris Agreement as well as international institutions such
as the Human Rights Council and the World Health Organization,
and to review its participation in the United Nations and other
international organizations. The US decision to use these
sanctions against the International Criminal Court and
its personnel and to threaten anyone who collaborates with
(21:22):
them is a direct attempt to weaken the rule of international
law, human rights and global justice. the United States is
also cutting international assistance dramatically,
including by eliminating agencies such as USAID and
ceasing funding to the United Nations Relief Work Agency for
Palestine refugees in the Near East.
(21:43):
All these actions have already had and will continue to have
serious real world impacts affecting the lives, well-being,
livelihoods and human rights of hundreds of millions of people,
including the most vulnerable ormarginalized populations.
These regressive actions are nothappening in a vacuum, but take
place alongside an active undermining of respect for human
(22:06):
rights within the United States.We are dismayed at the US
administration's firing of independent justice officials,
failure to fully comply with court orders, the rollback of
policies and programs on climatechange, as well as equality,
inclusion, and diversity. Retrogressions to the human
rights of women and girls. The demonization of transgender
people, persecution and forced deportation of migrants.
(22:29):
Threats to journalists, students, and freedom of
expression more generally. Censoring and removal of public
information and lack of transparency and blatant
disregard of public accountability for its actions.
We are also distressed by the problematic role of leading
business actors in the US administration who are exerting
undue influence without any mechanisms to prevent conflicts
(22:52):
of interest. This opens the door to corporate
capture of the US government andfurther weakens the independent
responsibility of businesses andother private entities to
respect human rights and the environment.
In today's globalized and multi polar world, no country can
function without international cooperation and respect for
international law. Collective actions premised upon
(23:13):
mutual respect and internationalsolidarity are required to
overcome pressing global challenges.
We urge the US Administration toreconsider its policies,
particularly in light of its ownhistory.
With struggles for freedom and equality and its valuable
contributions to the UN Charter,the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, and the current multilateral system, now more
(23:35):
than ever, it is the time for States, civil society,
businesses, and all people who believe in the value of rule of
international law, justice, human rights, peace and
security, and sustainable development to come together to
vehemently defend these core values and the institutions that
safeguard them. We remain ready to work
(23:56):
constructively with the United States and other states to
create a world that is safe, peaceful, just, equal,
inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous for everyone.
We hope you enjoyed this episodeand recommend it to your friends
and family by sharing the link. We'd like to thank all the women
mentioned today for their contributions to gender equality
(24:18):
to the fight against witchcraft accusations into our podcast
Witch Hunt. We dedicate this episode to
those suffering and dying due togender inequality worldwide.
If you would like to support.ourworkpleaseconsidermakingadonation@endwitchhunts.org/donate.
Have a great today and accelerate action so all of us
(24:42):
get to share in a beautiful tomorrow.
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