Several tribes in Ethiopia such as the Karo, Hamer and Bana, kill newborn twins and illegitimate children, whom they consider to be cursed.
In addition to killing children born out of wedlock, babies who are born twins, or
children whose top teeth come in before their bottom, are also considered to be cursed. It is believed that if the cursed children are not killed, the tribe will be stricken with drought or diseases.
45-year-old Buko Balguda's husband failed to finish a tribal ritual of jumping over bulls before the their wedding. As such, their marriage not officially recognized, and all 15 of the couple's children were considered illegitimate. Balguda's offsprings were either dumped into the river to be devoured by crocodiles, or thrown into the wild.
The tradition of killing "cursed children" in the Karo tribe was terminated in 2012, after a charity organization called Omo Children interfered. However, other tribes such as Hamer and Bana reportedly kill about 300 children every year because of the superstition.
