THIS WOMAN Jonaki Rai is possessed by an evil spirit. At least, that’s what these spirit healers have told her. witchdoctor 1: Slow down! So what are you, a ghost or a witch? witchdoctor 2: I’m a ghost, and my name is Kobir. witchdoctor 1: Do you promise to go far away? witchdoctor 2: Yes, I do. witchdoctor 1: Should I believe you? witchdoctor 2: Yes! witchdoctor 1: Okay, then go away. The spirit healers SAY THEY’VE successfully exorcised the spirit. But its origin remains unknown. Her neighbors blame a witch. Woman: In the past, we have beaten up such witches and chased them away. Away from India’s big, modern cities, superstitions like this abound. In the last 15 years, nearly 2300 accused witches have been murdered, Nearly all were women. Budhinath Orang knows the pain first hand. Budhinath Orang: Whenever small children in the village would die, the villagers would say my mother was a witch and had killed them. One day, a mob came and tied her to a piece of bamboo, like a pig. They carried her across the river and beheaded her. Although witchhunts often lead to mob violence, the accusations typically stem from personal or family disputes over property and the land rights of women. That makes the problem hard to root out. But that hasn’t stopped Birubala Rabha from fighting to end the custom. Birubala: when I first started fighting against witch hunts, the villagers would come in packs to beat me up and kill me. The police did not help us earlier, and we had to do a lot of work without any legal support. My own relatives called me a witch after my husband died of cancer. Ms Rabha assists the families of victims of witch hunts. Her small team of volunteers pressures police to investigate and arrest the perpetrators. She has also put pressure on legislators, and in her biggest success so far, she was a key proponent of a new state law that bans witchcraft accusations. That’s bringing attention to her work. Presenter at ceremony: Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for this amazing woman, Srivati Birubala Rabha from Assam. BUT SHE ALSO INTERVENES DIRECTLY ON BEHALF OF ACCUSED WOMEN. In addition to her legislative efforts, Ms Rabha is fighting the scourge of superstition at the personal level by intervening to protect those accused of witchcraft. She’s stopped 35 women from being branded as witches, likely saving their lives. Today, it’s Jamila Rabha, 27 years old and no relation to Birubala. Woman: We have come to Sigri today because of only one reason. Jamila Rabha has been accused of being a witch by her own brother. Jamila: It’s actually my sister-in-law who always calls me a witch and beats me. Jamila’s brother: Who has the right over property, you tell me? A man or a woman? Before, these accusations might have led to violence. But now, the new law gives women leverage to defend themselves. Woman: There is a new law, and it doesn’t matter if you have a dispute over property or something else, you can’t call someone a witch! You can be put in prison for three, maybe even ten years, so don’t call anyone a witch! In this case, a compromise was reached, and Jamila’s brother retracted his accusation of witchcraft, and agreed to build a separate room for his sister to live in. Birubala: Of course, it feels better to save lives than to win an award. Recently, again I got an award, and I asked everyone there, why do you give me these awards? How do they help? I told them to give me a workforce to help me save more lives.