Misuse of traditional healing has become a public safety concern

Tradition is an important part of cultural identity. Across many African communities, traditional healers have long played a role in providing herbal remedies, spiritual guidance and support during difficult moments.

For generations, people have turned to them in search of healing, protection, prosperity and answers to life's uncertainties.

However, when individuals exploit traditional beliefs for personal gain, healing can become a cover for abuse, exploitation and criminality.

The concern is not traditional healing itself, but those who misuse cultural authority to manipulate vulnerable people, demand unusual or dangerous substances, and promote practices that threaten human life.

Imagine a family desperately searching for a solution to persistent misfortune.

A practitioner promises wealth, protection or success but demands extraordinary sacrifices, rare body parts or substances allegedly believed to possess special powers. In the most disturbing circumstances, such demands can become a dangerous incentive for individuals already inclined towards criminal behaviour. When human body parts are demanded or believed to be necessary for rituals, innocent people may become targets of abduction, assault or murder.

Human life is then reduced to a commodity in a market driven by fear, desperation and the pursuit of supernatural promises. This is where cultural exploitation becomes a public safety concern.

Those who commit such crimes must bear responsibility for their actions. Equally, where credible evidence establishes that a practitioner solicited, encouraged, facilitated or knowingly benefited from violence, that person's role must be investigated and addressed through the law.

Criminal networks may exploit beliefs surrounding ritual practices to create demand for body parts, while unscrupulous individuals can use secrecy, fear and community influence to evade scrutiny. Such conduct must never be excused as culture, spirituality or traditional medicine.

The danger, however, extends beyond ritual-related violence. Some unscrupulous practitioners exploit people's fears by demanding repeated payments, expensive and unusual materials, or compliance with humiliating and harmful rituals.

Others may discourage patients from seeking appropriate medical treatment, expose vulnerable individuals to physical or psychological abuse, or exploit children and families facing illness, infertility, financial hardship or bereavement. Where deception replaces professional responsibility, trust becomes a tool of exploitation.

The security implications are significant. Such abuses can contribute to violent crime, undermine confidence in community institutions, complicate investigations and leave vulnerable people exposed to intimidation. They also create a risk of collective suspicion, in which innocent traditional practitioners are unfairly blamed for the crimes of a few.

Responsible public safety measures must, therefore, distinguish legitimate cultural and healing practices from conduct involving fraud, coercion, violence or the exploitation of human beings.

Addressing this challenge requires coordinated action by law enforcement agencies, health authorities, cultural institutions, community leaders and the public. Allegations involving missing persons, suspected human sacrifice, trafficking in human body parts or violent rituals must be investigated professionally, using credible evidence rather than rumour, superstition or mob justice.

Communities should be encouraged to report suspicious demands and threats, while public education should challenge the belief that prosperity, protection or healing can legitimately require another person's suffering or death.

Traditional and cultural leaders also have an important responsibility. They can help protect the integrity of their institutions by condemning harmful practices, cooperating with lawful investigations and refusing to provide legitimacy to individuals who exploit cultural beliefs for criminal purposes. Respect for tradition must go hand in hand with accountability, human dignity and the protection of life.

Ultimately, no promise of wealth, healing, power or protection can justify the abuse of another human being. A society that values its cultural heritage must also have the courage to confront those who misuse it.

Tradition should preserve life, not endanger it; restore hope, not manufacture fear; and strengthen communities, not provide cover for criminal activity.

The call to action is clear: protect our cultural heritage, expose its exploitation, report credible threats and hold offenders accountable. No belief, ritual or promise should ever place human life beyond the protection of the law.

Mathias Rukuba, Strategic Security Practitioner & Advisor