Investigating the 'spiritual healers' sexually abusing women - BBC News

A hidden world of exploitation by men working as "spiritual healers" has been uncovered by the BBC.

13 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage caption, BBC Arabic went undercover to find out just how prevalent such abuse isBy Hanan RazekBBC News ArabicA hidden world of sex abuse and exploitation by men working as "spiritual healers" has been uncovered by BBC Arabic.

Spiritual healing, also known as "Quranic healing", is a popular practice in the Arab and Muslim world. It is mostly women who visit healers - believing that they can solve problems and cure illness by expelling evil spirits known as "jinn".

Testimonies gathered by the BBC from 85 women, over a period of more than a year, named 65 so-called healers in Morocco and Sudan - two countries where such practices are particularly popular - with accusations ranging from harassment to rape.

We spent months speaking to NGOs, courts, lawyers and women, gathering and verifying stories of abuse. An undercover reporter who underwent treatment with one such healer for our investigation, was herself inappropriately touched before fleeing the scene.

Warning: Readers may find some of the details below distressing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-65264921?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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