Can a Stranger Conduct Deliverance on Your Child?

_{Religious leader praying over a child Tamara Govedarovic - Unsplash}

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In many Western jurisdictions, it's illegal to speak with, let alone perform a ritual on a child without their parent's consent. Doing this can give rise to several child protection concerns like child abuse linked to faith or belief (CALFB), harassment and battery.

Yet, in certain localities, a stranger can walk into a school or street, lay hands on a child to deliver them from 'kaikai' spirit, and very few parents would see any legal or ethical issue there.

While discussing this with some caregivers and guardians, many responded that there was no big deal in that.

• "Isn't it just a simple deliverance?"
• "Isn't it just a simple prayer?"
• "Isn't it for the child's good?"

But here's what they failed to see:

1. That this is a textbook example of civil and criminal battery

In the eyes of the law, battery isn't just about inflicting physical injury on a person. It is any unauthorised and offensive touch. So, a person can't just walk around telling a child that they are "possessed" or lay hands on them for "deliverance" without their parental permission. Doing so constitutes battery.

It is immaterial whether the motive is for something "good" like spiritual healing or cleansing. Without consent, that touch legally violates that child’s bodily autonomy.

2. That it is a form of child abuse

Hurting child. Canva - Shalahuddin Alfarisi

Telling a child they are possessed or spiritually unclean can cause lasting psychological trauma on that child. It makes the child feel different or evil, and in worst cases, lead to ostracisation and stigmatisation. In the UK, there is a specific legal category that caters to this kind of emotional abuse. It's called abuse linked to faith or belief (ALFB). What might look like a harmless deliverance can, in reality, be another way of abusing a child — emotionally.

3. That it interferes with parental rights

Parents have the primary responsibility to protect and care for their children's religious and physical needs. In many jurisdictions, having a spiritual calling does not give any stranger or external person the right or licence to touch anybody's child. It's the law that dictates who should touch a child and when. Anyone who decides to do any 'Godly work' without the parent's signature or verbal consent is considered to have committed a legal offense. This does not mean that parental rights are absolute. Even the parents must act in the "best interest of the child". If an act is not in the child's best interest, it is legally and ethically unacceptable.

Lately, I have seen individuals visiting schools or approaching children on the streets to conduct deliverance on them without their parents consent. While this might not be morally wrong, it's prohibited under many legal systems due to the issues raised above.

It is vital to know this so you can make informed decisions when the time comes, and evade unnecessary legal complications.

Children are human beings as well. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. The law recognises and protects them. If we agree that no one should interview a child or publish their photo online without consent, then we must agree that protecting them from unauthorised physical and spiritual interventions is just as important.