The brutal acid attack was an attempt to exorcise the demons from the young girl, after starvation and repeated beatings had failed. Aline is one of thousands of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo who have been accused of witchcraft by their families.
The children often suffer horrific abuse; they may undergo traumatic exorcisms and be cast onto the streets to fend for themselves. So it is not difficult for people to believe that evil can dwell in a child.
The Christian religion is practised alongside cultural religious practices. There is a general belief in supreme beings, a belief in good and a belief in evil. People are not shocked when someone is accused of witchcraft. Politicians may suspect the use of magic if they lose elections and businesses frequently employ diviners to safeguard their interests from the spells of competitors.
In the DR Congo, evil spirits are blamed for many misfortunes. Children have become easy scapegoats for unemployment, illness and hardship. Save the Children says there are approximately 30, children living alone in Kinshasa's streets and it is thought that up to 60 per cent of these are abandoned 'witch children'.
They all come from a background of economic difficulty. Aid workers say they have not uncovered one case where an affluent family has pointed the finger at a child. There are two factors driving the witch children phenomenon. Congolese society has collapsed, and the number of churches has massively increased. Over 2, new Pentecostal churches have opened in the past few years, each offering salvation to a people desperate for hope after years of bloodshed.
