African witchcraft used to enslave people in Ireland, expert warns

African witchcraft is being used to “manipulate and control” women and men who are trafficked for Ireland, an expert told a webinar hosted by religious orders.

Juju, a belief system deeply rooted in parts of Africa, is used to facilitate the “terrible crime” of human trafficking to Ireland, according to David Lohan an expert in modern slavery.

“What I’m talking about may seem on the extraordinary front, but in some ways it’s not really extraordinary to the issue of human trafficking at all, it’s just another characteristic of what happens,” said Mr Lohan during a webinar organised by the Sisters of Our Lady of Apostles (OLA) and the Society of African Missionaries (SMA).

“What we are talking about here is no obscurity, it’s a major organised crime, a major criminal enterprise, it involves a series of people working in tandem,” he added.

The webinar revealed a “chillingly efficient system of exploitation”, a spokesperson for the OLAs said, “a network of recruiters, Juju priests, intermediaries, and racketeers operating with chilling efficiency and ruthlessness”.

“We were introduced to the dark underbelly of human trafficking, and how the exploitation of cultural practices, specifically Juju – a belief system deeply rooted in some West African countries – was highlighted as a tool for manipulation and control,” the spokesperson said.