This episode features a comprehensive discussion on superstitions and their impact on child rights in India, specifically focusing on the harmful ritual of Pillai Thookkam. The guests, Naveen Suresh, a PhD researcher on anti-superstition law in India, and Dr. Samantha Spence, an expert in human rights law, dive into the legal, cultural, and psychological aspects of superstitions and their enforcement. Naveen shares unsettling details about Pillai Thookkam, a ritual involving putting babies at risk without safety measures, to highlight the severe neglect of child rights under the guise of tradition. Both guests discuss the complexities of applying existing laws against such practices, emphasizing the importance of scientific temper, education, and mental health awareness. The episode concludes with insights into how media and education can play pivotal roles in combating superstitions and fostering a rational and empathetic societal outlook towards child welfare.

Street Play on Witch Hunting by I-CARD

Film: Testimony of Ana

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AVARNAN (The Colorless People) | SHORT FILM | NAVEEN SURESH

Why Witch Hunts are not just a Dark Chapter from the Past

The International Network against Accusations of Witchcraft and Associated Harmful Practices

Grassroots organizations working with The International Network

International Alliance to End Witch Hunts

In today's episode, we sit down with Brendan Walsh, an expert in Early Modern Intellectual History and Religion to examine a chilling account of a 17th century demonic child possession in Connecticut, as chronicled in Cotton Mather’s "Memorable Providences Relating To Witchcrafts And Possessions." Brendan takes us through the golden age of demonic possession, spotlighting significant figures such as the English exorcist John Darrell and notorious New England minister Cotton Mather.

As we consider the account of the "Boy of Tocutt," Brendan elucidates how such reports reflect the fundamental Puritan perceptions of the diabolical or malevolent and their assault on the spiritually weak. Join us for a fascinating journey into the past, exploring how immemorial beliefs in witchcraft, the devil’s pact, demonic obsession and possession continue to shape our understanding of evil in our society and ourselves.

"The Boy of Tocutt" and the Demonic Covenant in Seventeenth-Century New England Demonology

Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcrafts and Possessions

Salem Witch-Hunt Daily Report

Save Ingersoll's Tavern Facebook Group

Massachusetts Witch-Hunt Justice Project Facebook Group

Sign the MA Witch Hunt Justice Project Petition

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Witch Hunt presents “The Ultimate Introduction to the Salem Witch Trials,” the first episode of the Salem Witch-Hunt 101 series. This episode provides a comprehensive overview of the Salem Witch Trials, emphasizing the event's extensive reach, the variety of people involved, and its unique characteristics compared to other witch hunts in history. We discuss the origins and progression of the witch hunt, debunking myths and shedding light on the social, legal, and political factors feeding the crisis. Also covered are some of the key accusers, victims, opposition, and lasting legacy of the trials, with an emphasis on the importance of remembrance and learning from this dark chapter in history.

Hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, descendants of people hanged for witchcraft in the Salem Witch-Hunt, welcome you to explore the witch-hunt in great detail in this episode and the rest of the series. Look for much more in-depth Salem coverage over the coming months and years.

Salem Witch-Hunt 101 Bibliography

A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Emerson W. Baker

The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege by Marilynne K. Roach

Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt by Bernard Rosenthal, editor

The Ruin of All Witches: Life and Death in the New World by Malcolm Gaskill

Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials by Marion Gibson

The Once & Future Witch Hunt: A Descendant's Reckoning from Salem to the Present by Alice Markham-Cantor

Marion Gibson on Witchcraft A History in 13 Trials

Owen Davies on Grimoires, Magic, and Witch Hunts

Finding Your Salem Witch Trial Ancestors with David Allen Lambert

Malcolm Gaskill on The Ruin of All Witches