Abstract:
Women domestic servants have long run history in the world, and many researchers reported about them. Witchcraft is an untouched area where in many women domestic servants that are possessed by the evil spirits and governed by demons. These women domestic servants, in particular, have unique lived experience in their work. Therefore, the main intent of this study was to explore the lived experience of women domestic servant in witchcraft houses in West Gojjam, Fenote Selam town. A qualitative approach with the phenomenological design was employed. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select seven interviewees, and semi-structured interview was used to gather information. The data extracted from these instruments were analyzed by using thematic qualitative data analysis technique. Results showed that one of the fundamental reasons for women to be a domestic servant is a spiritual inheritance from parents or ancestors and Also, other economic interests like getting better market success through magical power, and the search of a direction for job drive women into witchcraft houses as servants. The other reasons to be servants are social ignorance /isolation and peer pressure that leads them into witchcraft. They perform various activities inside and out of witchcraft house. Women domestic servants have in additional activities like arranging favorable condition for the evil spirit to take sacrifices through sex, music or worshiping, tattoos, and magic. Women also serve as sex object for the worship to the evil spirit, and they are used as sources of income from others who visit the witchcraft. These servants also make money by offering sex services. However, those women face different challenges like being exposed to health problem, economic hardship, sexual violence, psychological problem, overworking, and rejection/isolation. To cope up with those challenges, women servants try to make smooth relationship with the witchcraft and other servants to reduce their burden. But, they pray to God when they become more stressed and hopeless and they wish to be witch women with higher spirit possession.
Keywords: Women domestic servant, Witchcraft, Evil spirit