By Anthony Thomas JPC, Grand Gedeh

My own understanding of sassywood or trial by ordeal in Grand Gedeh County is that it is a common practice and this practice must be abolished.Many people over the years have been victimized following the administration of sassywood or trial by ordeal. One experience that I observed in one of our villages is that poison was placed in the sassywood for this innocent lady to drink. She had been accused of witchcraft. When she drank the sassywood, she died on the spot.

Therefore the administration of the sassywood is not transparent, but it is meant to take innocent lives away.

Furthermore, to stop this practice, government, especially the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is to put stop to the issuance of certificates to native doctors. Also, massive awareness needs to be done so as to alleviate the common practice of sassywood in Grand Gedeh County.

By doing this, the elders’, chiefs’ and villagers’ minds will be transformed and we will live in peace.