No, seriously, they’re actually sacrificing children — as in killing them — in the hope of bringing about good health and wealth. And the epidemic is getting worse. And they’re not even sacrificing their own children!

JINJA, Uganda (AP) — Caroline Aya was playing in front of her house in January when a neighbor put a cloth over her mouth and fled with her.

A couple of days later, the 8-year-old’s body was found a short walk away — with her tongue cut out. Police believe she was offered up as a human sacrifice in a ritual killing, thought to bring wealth or health.

In most countries that would be a horrid story which would grab the attention of the nation and even world. In Uganda, it’s a story that has become all-too-common.

The practice of human sacrifice is on the rise in Uganda, as measured by ritual killings where body parts, often facial features or genitals, are cut off for use in ceremonies. The number of people killed in ritual murders last year rose to a new high of at least 15 children and 14 adults, up from just three cases in 2007, according to police. The informal count is much higher — 154 suspects were arrested last year and 50 taken to court over ritual killings.

29 cases may not seem significant in a country with 31.7 million people, but let’s keep a few things in mind. First, that figure only includes the ritualistic killings and not murder on a whole. Second, those figures are official and, as the article notes, the informal count is significantly higher. Finally, the figure spiked from 3 to 29 in just 2 years. Wow.

Children in particular are common victims, according to a U.S. State Department report released this month. The U.S. spent $500,000 to train 2,000 Ugandan police last year to investigate offences related to human trafficking, including ritual killings.

The problem is bad enough that last year the police established an Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce. Posters on police station walls show a sinister stranger luring two young girls into a car below bold letters that call on parents to “Prevent Child Sacrifice.”

The first signs your country is bass-ackwards: You’re forced to maintain an “Anti-Human Sacrifice Taskforce”, and you have to run media campaigns convincing parents to protect their children from being sacrificed. William Stoughton just called from beyond the grave. He thinks Uganda is fucked up.

The cause of this epic stupidity? Blame Nigeria’s film industry:

However, the rise in human sacrifices in Uganda appears to come from a desire for wealth and a belief that drugs made from human organs can bring riches, according to task force head Moses Binoga. They may be fueled by a spate of violent Nigerian films that are growing in popularity, and showcase a common story line: A family reaping riches after sacrificing a human.

They’re like Avatards on steroids. But there’s also this:

The sacrifices are also linked to a deep belief in traditional healers, or witch doctors, who can be found practically every half mile in Uganda.

At the end of a winding dirt road on the edge of Kampala, Uganda’s capital, barefoot children scurry past a sign advertising the abilities of Musa Nsimbe, who goes by the trade name Professor Gabogola. The sign in front of his small wood hut reads like a panacea for the world’s woes.

“A traditional healer with powers over spirits. Solves all cases, demons, thieves, tooth decay, madness fevers, appelipse, genital affairs.”

Would making an Obama joke be classless at this point? Yes, yes it would. And so the joke shall not be made.

Seriously though, the article says part of the increase is attributable to parents selling their children to witch doctors in these tough economic times. Which makes you wonder how much worse the problem will become as the global recession continues.