There are an estimated 2,000 women and girls bound to various shrines in the trokosi system, a figure that does not include the slaves' children. Even when freed by her fetish priest from the more onerous aspects of her bondage, whether voluntarily or as a result of intervention by activists, a trokosi woman generally has few marketable skills and little hope of marriage and typically remains bound to the shrine for life by psychological and social pressure arising from a traditional belief that misfortune may befall a trokosi woman's family or village if she abandons her obligations to the shrine. When a fetish slave dies, her family is expected to replace her with another young girl, thus perpetuating the bondage to the fetish shrine from generation to generation. In June 1998, Parliament passed and the President signed legislation to ban the practice of trokosi in comprehensive legislation to protect women and children's rights. Human rights activists believe that the goal of eradicating the trokosi practice is attainable with the new law.
Activists know the community leaders and fetish priests and thus know with whom to negotiate.
The followers of Trokosi claim this to be a religion, but the Government does not recognize it as such. There have been occasional reports of interreligious and intrareligious incidents, but no violent incidents based on religious affiliation. There were no reports of intra-Muslim violence during the period covered by this report. A group of youths also attacked Muslims in the area, including the headmaster of the Islamic school, who was beaten severely. Five persons suffered gunshot wounds.