The death of a child, a disease outbreak in a village, bad weather, a meager harvest. These are some of the reasons women in India are accused of sorcery, branded as witches, and hunted. Public health and development failures thus become exacerbated by forces of patriarchy, misogyny, and the caste system. Some states have outlawed witch hunts, but the practice continues with thousands of women hunted each year; hundreds are tortured and murdered.
August 22, 2018 | SELF Magazine
In Rural India, Protecting Women From Witch Hunting, and an Impending Flood
Women across India are tortured and murdered in so-called witch hunts.
March 01, 2018 | Stance Podcast
Alternative Realities - Witches? Kamila Shamsie, Kaytranada
An arts and culture podcast features grantee Seema Yasmin's reporting on witch hunts in India.
January 14, 2018 | Scientific American
Witch Hunts Today: Abuse of Women, Superstition and Murder Collide in India
More than 2,500 people have been killed in witch hunts across India since 2001. In Gujarat, experts say a failed model of development has worsened gender inequality and violence against women.
December 23, 2020 | Education news
On-Demand Webinar for Educators: Media Literacy and the COVID-19 Pandemic
The Pulitzer Center education team invites educators to watch this on-demand webinar for a presentation with Dr. Seema Yasmin on navigating reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic.
January 17, 2018 | Newsletter
This Week: Witch Hunts Today
This week: Indian women fight back against witch hunts, Bolivia's child labor laws struggle to combat abuse, and the lives of Filipino women whose government killed their loved ones for drug use.