“Spirit child” and concomitant paedicides in Africa: A systematic review of the empirical literature

A sizeable proportion of child homicides in most African communities is triggered by certain superstitious beliefs and practices such as the so-called “spirit child/children”–children, particularly disabled babies, believed to possess malevolent spirits that cause misfortunes and deaths in their families and the community. Such children are sometimes killed. The present study sought to consolidate and synthesise information on spirit child homicides in African settings to facilitate greater knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon. Utilising the PRISMA guidelines, a literature search for empirical works on spirit child homicides published between 2000 and 2022 was conducted across four databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Journal Storage (JSTOR), and Google Scholar. Thirteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The review shows that spirit child homicide occurs largely in rural communities, and that demonophobia, poverty, poor access to health provision, influence of traditional healers, and lack of support for parents of children with disabilities are the major factors that sustain the practice. Because the spirit child belief is deeply entrenched in the culture of the practicing communities, a multi-layered approach will be required to combat spirit child motivated paedicides.