Abandonment, persecution, and violence became their companion days after their biological parents abandoned them to die on the street under the guise of not wanting to associate with witches and wizards. At that tender age, these Nigerians already lost their childhood experience, as they are now forced to become adults drinking and surviving by the street codes.

Usually, these young boys and girls roam the street pickpocketing from adults who are meant to protect and shelter them. It now becomes the case of the hunted becoming the hunter. All this is the common situation, there are however a number of these abandoned children who end up in the wrong hands. While the majority of them end up in hotels where they are used as sex slaves, others end up where they continue to face other forms of abuse daily.

[Crusade against witches and wizards organized by a Pentecostal Church]
The Manipulating Fears.

You might be asking, why would a parent decide to call his or her own child a witch and abandon them to die on the street?. 

The idea of witchcraft is something prevalent in many African communities. Very often, these bizarre practices end up even in the house of God. Some untrained men of God in a bid to convince members of the public to join their ministry, label young children especially the vulnerable witches. These things happen mainly in Pentecostal Churches located in rural areas in Nigeria.

The majority of Akwa Ibom residents including members of the Ibibio, Annang, and the Oro ethnic groups believe in the religious existence of spirits and witches. What usually happens in these communities is that there is a constant campaign of violence against witches. These so-called witches end up becoming vulnerable like old women, young children.

[Before and after photo of Hope]
The Touching Story of Hope Who Was Labeled A Witch In Uyo And Later Saved.

Let's take a flashback to February 2016 when a little boy was discovered wandering around the street of Uyo in Akwa Ibom, Nigeria with his stomach riddled with worms. The little boy.....

https://aprokoarena.com/hope-saviour-and-other-young-nigerians-branded-as-witches-by-parents/