In recent weeks in Ivory Coast, there were some murders of children, who have aroused great alarm among the population, because the bodies found made think of old and terrible superstition practices, the so-called "ritual crimes", as well as of possible exploitation for trade of organs.

The Community of Sant'Egidio of Abidjan, the economic capital of the country, has expressed its strong condemnation for these horrible acts and has launched, at a press conference, a call to change attitudes and culture towards children, to protect their lives and prevent their exploitation by adults:

"There is first of all the need to immediately stop the hand that takes the lives of so many innocent people. But, to avoid the repetition of such acts, there is also need to change the culture regarding children, "explained the head of Sant'Egidio in Ivory Coast, Georges Adon, and the coordinator of the School of Peace, Ange Saye Zirihi. "Behind these criminal acts is in fact an awareness of the value of the lives of children and the need for their protection still too weak. To this must be added ignorance, tied to ancient beliefs, which push the perpetrators of these crimes to use violence against children in the belief that it will bring success and wealth to their personal lives: they are inhuman beliefs behind which there is nothing but a thirst for wealth and power".

In the press conference, they also reminded of the value of the Schools of Peace, spread in Abidjan and in many other cities of Ivory Coast: places where they train to grow together, where they care about the civil registration of minors (otherwise more easily prey to exploitation because "invisible") and build a culture that defends life.