Ghana activists denounce new bill that makes identifying as LGBTQ+ a crime
rfi.frAudrey Gadzekpo, a professor of communications at the University of Ghana and chairperson of the non-profit Ghana Center for Democratic Development.“We are mobilising all our resources to fight it and show how it violates key fundamental human rights provisions in Ghana’s 1992 constitution.”Prof.
Gadzekpo, the Board Chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has urged President Akufo-Addo to reject the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill“Human rights are not dependent on majority approval or disapproval"https://t.co/rsb5cefMzSFirst proposed in 2021, the bill sets prison terms ranging from six months to three years for people who take part in LGBTQ+ sexual acts – which are already illegal in Ghana, though they rarely lead to prosecution.
The new legislation also criminalises people who advocate in favour of LGBTQ+ rights, who could be imprisoned for up to 10 years if their campaigns are aimed at minors.“This bill is very open to interpretation,” says Gadzekpo. “It is not clear at all.
For example, what does that mean for the media in Ghana – will they not be able to talk about LGBTQ+ issues or invite people to discuss such matters?”She believes the legislation will interfere with the ability of civil society groups or international organisations to carry out their programmes.“You commit an offence even by expressing sympathy towards what is criminalised under this bill,” she says.Clause 5 of the bill also imposes an obligation to report any person identifying as LGBTQ+ to “the police, or political leaders, opinion leaders or customary leaders in the community”.Anyone convicted of identifying as LGBTQ+ faces up to three years in prison.“This bill criminalises a person’s identity,” says Gadzekpo.“How do I report my child or my student?”The United States State Department said the legislation would threaten Ghanaians' rights to freedoms of speech and assembly.
