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The Ministry for Children, Gender and Social Protection in conjuction with ActionAide Ghana have closed down the Bonyase Witches Camp near Bupe in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region. The camp which houses more than fifty (50) inmates was shut down after protracted consultations with the Queen of Bonyase, Aisha Kisheraba who doubles as the Priestess of the shrine where the alleged witches were kept. At a short ceremony, Nana Oye Lithur, the Minister for Children, Gender and Social Protection described the occasion as a historic and another major feat chalked in women�s right. �..for the first time in the history of the World, the history of mother Ghana, we the government, traditional leaders, civil societies and people of Ghana are closing down the first witch camp in Bonyase, Northern Region,� she said. She recounted some of the horrific stories of unsatisfactory living conditions and the harsh treatment meted out to the inmates �Witch Camps� across the nation. Nana Oye Lithur was particularly concerned about the loss of livelihood of the alleged witches and the inability of the children who flee with their mothers to the camps to access education. �An inmate of one of these six camps in existence is likely to be a woman aged 70 years and above, aged, poor, widowed, disabled. These are our most vulnerable members of our Ghanaian society. These are our mother, sisters, friends and family who should be supported, loved, shown compassion and care, and not tortured, stigmatized, beaten up disowned, disgraced and shamed�. Though some family members of the inmates were ready to receive their relatives back, a few of them told Peacefmonline.com of their fear of the unknown new life ahead of them. They raise concerns about how they would survive on their own, given the fact that some of them have been servitude for between 3 and 35 years. However, the Minister for Children, Gender and Social Protection assured the inmates of continues support from government through the LEAP cash transfer programme. �We are finalizing the registration of all inmates on the National Health Insurance Scheme. We will ensure that the women have access to MASLOC credit scheme and LESDEP skills building programme�. To ensure the camp does not operate anymore, the Queen Mother of Bonyase, Aishetu Kisheraba was given a tricycle and a corn mill since the closure of the camp would impart her livelihood greatly. Even though she was not happy with the closure of the camp, Aishetu Kisheraba expressed her gratitude to government and all stakeholders for the donation.