LONDON, June 25 (UPI) -- Authorities in Britain are planning to publish a "harrowing" report on the abuse of African children who are branded as witches in Britain.
An inquiry was ordered after a series of cases in which children were believed to be the victims of witchcraft and exorcism rituals, The Independent reported.
Some citizens believe there may have been as many as 50 such cases in London alone in the last five years, the newspaper said. Official numbers will be revealed in the report, slated for publication in the next two weeks.
The report is expected to detail abusive acts, such as cutting with razors, starving children and rubbing chili peppers into their eyes.
Witchcraft came to national attention in Britain in 2001, when the torso of an unknown African boy was found in the Thames. A Metropolitan Police investigation found that hundreds of children who had come from Africa to Britain could not be accounted for.
African church leaders in Britain reportedly fear that the findings may be stigmatizing.