TWO scholars examining Jamaica’s Obeah Law from different perspectives have agreed that the legislation is fundamentally flawed and lacks a clear definition of the practice it seeks to criminalise.

Speaking at a public forum on The Jamaican Obeah Law in Practice last Friday, Professor Diana Paton argued that the legislation has never truly been about combating spiritual evil but has historically been used as a tool of colonial control and cultural suppression.

Meanwhile, Catholic priest and sociologist Reverend Peter Espeut maintained that while the law is defective and outdated, some form of legislation is still needed to address practices intended to cause harm, and the law should be amended.