THE number of child abuse cases linked to witchcraft in Bolton has soared in 12 months, according to department for education figures.

Abuse of children based on faith or belief ­— which includes witchcraft, spirit possession and black magic ­— increased from eight in 2017/18 to 38 in 2018/19.

Bolton’s figures place it 10th in the country for the number of children identified by councils through a social work assessment of being at risk of this form of abuse.

The town recorded the sixth largest rise in witchcraft-related child abuse in the country.

A spokesperson for Bolton Council said:“Any form of abuse towards children is completely unacceptable.

“We work closely with our partners to identify and respond to any cases to ensure children are safeguarded from potential harm.

“From our experience we know that cases are not confined to one faith, nationality or ethnic community.

“Anyone who has any concerns about the welfare of a child should report this to us or the police.”

Nationally, 20-years since the tragic and horrific death of Victoria Climbie in which her killers claimed the youngster was ‘possessed’, the number of child abuse cases linked to faith and belief continue to rise.

In her short life the eight-year-old who lived in London was tortured, beaten, burned with cigarettes and forced to sleep in a bin liner in a bath by those supposed to protect her.

Her death led to the largest review of child protection ever held.

But Government statistics show that the number of child abuse cases liked to witchcraft has risen by a third in the past three years, according to the Department for Education statistics.

Abuse of children based on faith or belief – which includes witchcraft, spirit possession and black magic – increased from 1,460 to 1,950 cases between 2016/17 and 2018/19, a rise of 34 per cent.

This is the equivalent of councils dealing with 38 such cases a week.

The North West had the highest number of recorded child abuse cases linked to faith and belief - 380 in 2018/2019, a rise of 200 on the previous year, followed by Yorkshire and the Humber and West Midlands

Experts say the Government figures drastically underestimate the true number of ‘witchcraft’ child abuse cases.

Leethen Bartholomew, head of the National FGM Centre said that Victoria Climbie and others like her should be remembered and their memories should encourage people to help those children who are currently at risk from this form of abuse.

“It is about giving people the confidence and the knowledge to understand when faith and belief becomes harmful and for them to report it without thinking they are betraying their community but that they are safeguarding vulnerable children,”he said.