Department of Sociology and Social Work
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://dspace.njala.edu.sl/handle/20.500.144402/173
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Item Witchcraft Accusations and Women’s Empowerment in Makeni, Sierra Leone(Scientific Research Publishing, 2023) Munu, IbrahimThe article examines the impact of witchcraft accusations on women’s empowerment in the Makeni Township. The study employs a survey method, which includes the administration of questionnaires, focus group discussions, formal interviews, and reviewing related literature. Results indicate that older women are more prone to witchcraft accusations, and men who are often witch hunters mostly make these accusations. The paper also shows that older women are targeted mainly because of traditional or cultural conceptualizations, which direct witchcraft accusations to women only because that is how it is, poverty, and terminal illnesses. This study also shows that Witchcraft has a less positive impact on women and affects their chances of being empowered. Women accused of witchcraft practices suffer much inhuman treatment, including public ridicule, shaming and damning them, social exclusion, and sometimes, even death. However, the paper concludes that women’s accusation of witchcraft practices are linked firmly to their poor socioeconomic status, thus making it exemplary that witchcraft accusation is both a cause and effect of lack of empowerment for women.Item Witchcraft Accusations and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Rural Communities in Sierra Leone(BP International, 2024-07-25) Munu, IbrahimThe article examines the impact of witchcraft accusations on women's empowerment in rural areas of Sierra Leone, with Makeni Township being a case study. Witchcraft accusations, once a shared burden for both men and women, have increasingly targeted women and children in recent times. This alarming trend calls for a deeper understanding and heightened concern. The study employs a survey method, which includes the administration of questionnaires, focus group discussions, formal interviews, and reviewing related literature. Witches are known to hold meetings at night, and in these meetings, they wear nothing except masks, sit around corpses, and sometimes have intercourse with dead women. Results indicate that older women are more prone to witchcraft accusations, and men who are often witch hunters mostly make these accusations. The paper also shows that older women are targeted mainly because of traditional or cultural conceptualizations, which direct witchcraft accusations to women only because that is how it is, poverty, and terminal illnesses. This study also shows that Witchcraft has a less positive impact on women and affects their chances of being empowered. Women who are accused of practicing witchcraft endure a great deal of cruel treatment, which includes social marginalization, public mockery, public shaming, and condemnation, and occasionally even death. It is noteworthy that charges of witchcraft are both a cause and an effect of the lack of economic empowerment for women in this region of the world, as the paper concludes that women's accusations of witchcraft practices are closely associated with their low socioeconomic standing. This underscores the urgent need for gender equality and eliminating such harmful practices. The paper proposes several solutions to address this issue, including community education and awareness campaigns, legal reforms to protect the rights of accused women, and economic empowerment programs for women in rural areas.Item Available Resources and Factors Influencing the Adoption of Modern Rice Technologies among Farmers in Kambia District, Sierra Leone(Scientific Research Publishing, 2026) Munu, IbrahimThis study examined the factors influencing the adoption of modern rice technologies among farmers in Kambia District. A cross-sectional survey design was employed using primary data collected from 312 rice farmers selected across three chiefdoms in four communities in Kambia District. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, chi-square tests, Kendall’s W ranking, and post-hoc analysis to identify the major drivers and constraints influencing technology adoption. The findings revealed that rice farming in the district is predominantly undertaken by experienced smallholder farmers within economically active age groups, with 93.6% relying on rice farming as their major source of household income. However, low levels of formal education remain widespread, as 35.6% of respondents had no formal education. Although improved rice varieties such as ROK 10 and NERICA are increasingly cultivated, many farmers still depend on traditional varieties due to limited access to improved inputs and financial services. The logistic regression model showed strong explanatory power (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.531; p χ2 = 12.12, p = 0.436), whereas access to improved rice seed varieties was strongly associated with household income source (χ2 = 36.49, p < 0.0001). Post-hoc analysis further showed significant disparities in seed access, particularly among farmers engaged in non-farm activities and rice farming, suggesting systemic inequalities in input distribution. The study concludes that adoption of modern rice technologies in Kambia District is influenced by a complex interaction of economic, institutional, social, and resource-related factors. The study recommends strengthening extension services, improving rural credit, subsidizing inputs, expanding farmer training, and enhancing irrigation and mechanization infrastructure to promote adoption and improve rice productivity and food security.