London Life

At the beginning of last week the Catholic Church got into an almighty row with the government over the prospect that their adoption service would have to cater for gay couples. It was a sign that belief systems can conflict with the law. Debates about Muslim head attire have also highlighted how in a largely secular society the law can appear in conflict with what an individual believes are fundamental religious principles.

By the admission of the most senior religious figures in London's Congolese community the practice of Ndoki or witchcraft is part of a traditional belief system. The practices peculiar to the Congo (and other African societies) have become more noticeable in the capital as that community has grown to around 40,000 strong across the country.  

Around 25 per cent of that community attends one of the 150 Congolese congregations organised along the lines of Pentecostal churches. The pastor remains a central figure in that local community and it is not uncommon to have Christian worship infused with elements of the traditional. 

The religious leaders of this community have recognised that the publicity surrounding the case of a young boy branded by a hot iron because his father thought he was a witch did great harm to their collective reputation. The father was sent to prison in 2005. Further pressure came in another case in the same year which led to the conviction of three people. A young girl they had accused of being a witch was severely beaten and abused.

Sanctuary

These cases also exposed weaknesses in the way in which churches ministering to recent African migrants approached child protection issues. Both cases also provoked a good deal of soul searching about what services these churches and by extension their Pastors provide.

These churches fulfil important social as well as spiritual functions, very often perceived as places of sanctuary in a world that is at best unfamiliar and at worst hostile. In these circumstances the authorities have an extraordinarily difficult task in persuading members to trust them more then their Pastor, even on such important issues as child abuse allegations.

The Metropolitan Police investigation of Pastor Dieudonne Tukala was triggered by BBC journalistic evidence linking the boy branded by an iron to Pastor Tukala's Church of Christ in Mission in Tottenham. During the course of the ensuing police inquiry insufficient new evidence emerged and this led to the Crown Prosecution Service taking the decision not to prosecute.  

In a BBC Newsnight interview Pastor Dieudonne Tukala categorically denied having been involved in the case of the boy branded by an iron. Members of his congregation who witnessed the interview vociferously supported their pastor.  

No justification

Since this case emerged the Churches Child Protection Advisory Service has set in motion a training programme for around 230 Congolese Pastors and senior figures in those faith communities to ensure there is a common understanding of what constitutes child protection. It is my understanding that Pastor Tukala himself has undergone training in child protection issues.

In order to adopt a more coordinated approach to the problem the majority of Congolese churches set up an association called the Congolese pastorship. Pastor Jean Bosco Kanyemesha who leads this group told me that there is no justification for the demonising of children within their churches. 

Last month a group of Congolese Pastors briefed parliamentarians in the House of Lords on how robust child protection policies have been implemented over the past 18 months. But as the man who led the Met Police's Project Violet on child abuse, Bob Pull, reiterated; "it is extremely difficult to detect, gather intelligence and obtain successful prosecutions if faith communities refuse to engage with the statutory authorities".

Debbie Ariyo from the group African Unite Against Child Abuse believes that the law should be amended to criminalise practices which demonise children and leads to their abuse. For the moment the authorities believe its not the law that is inadequate but rather the channels through which information can flow to help detect and report such abuse if it happens.

Stigmatising

Acknowledging that traditional practices cannot simply be eradicated once migrants arrive in the UK, Jean Bosco claims that Ndoki in Christian worship is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. He is committed to ensuring that within their faith community the practices of Ndoki which lead to children being branded as witches are banned.

The attention received as a result of these cases has without doubt made that community feel stigmatised. This stigmatising may actually reinforce the sense of isolation in that community.   

In the arena of child protection where, for self-regulation to work offences need to be reported, this is unhelpful. In this sense the them and us climate that could develop between the authorities and these faith communities could put children at greater risk of being abused.