Ghana is currently democratically backsliding. The current President, Akufo- Addo, runs Ghana with an iron fist. From the outside looking in, Ghana is presenting itself as an authoritative government. Human rights institutions have been expressing grave concerns about what is happening in Ghana currently.
In early August 2021, Ghana had drafted an anti-LGBTQ+ bill called the Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021 which will criminalize being LGBTQ+ meaning, any sexual acts, relationships, public displays of affection, crossdressing. Ghana is simply criminalizing anything that could be identifying a person with being a part of the LGBTQ+ community. The bill will also criminalize gay rights advocacy groups and violators of this bill will face up to a decade in jail.
Many Ghanaians fear the outcome of the bill, it has been reported that people will leave the country if the bill is passed. Ghana has had a long-standing record of mixed support for the LBTQ+ community. Same-sex relationships have been illegal since the 1960s but
A new LGBTQ+ support center opened on January 31 2021 in the country’s capital, Accra, Ghana, but shortly shut down after Ghanaian police unlawfully raided the place. Upon the grand opening, the center did receive huge international support like the European Union and other foreign embassies meanwhile people of the community were opposed to the center.
Many international human rights advocates traveled to Ghana to research the treatment of those detained for violating their “Family values Law” and noted the inhuman conditions the detainees were in. Many were denied their basic needs and were told that their families would be responsible to provide those needs. Needs included but were not limited to water, food, bedding, medication the jails themselves were poorly sanitized and had no ventilation. However, the detainees either were denied communication to families or families denied help out because of the detainees’ sexuality.
According to Dr. Amina Adjepong, US-Based Ghanaian sociologist anti-LGBT+ advocacy is promoted by three Ghanaian institutions “the government, the church, and the media.” The Ghanaian government has taken every step to combat homosexuality within its country. The Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Pentecostal and Charismatic Council in a joint statement supported President Akufo-Addo and the anti-LGBTQ+ bill and urged for him to sign it. In the statement, they state homosexuality is “alien to the Ghanian culture.” Other rights groups feel that this bill is a “populist ploy to distract Christians and other voters from real problems.” Ghana has also censored any media that possibly advocate for LGBTQ+ rights. The media along with the church and government has miseducated its population and has created a homophobic society.
While Ghana’s current president states that he will not legalize same-sex relations many are not even asking for that stated by Dr. Adjepong. Many want to simply live without fear however sadly they are constantly being attacked.
Currently, there is a mixed response from the different religious institutions. Many advocates for the violence of the queer stating “that they should be thrown into the ocean because they cause the downfall of society.” Other religious institutions do not advocate for violence but still strongly condemn homosexuality.
As expected this bill is receiving major backlash from different foreign institutions including the United States and the Archbishop of Canterbury. United States President Joe Biden directed US foreign agencies to “promote and protect the human rights of lesbian gay bisexual and transgendered persons everywhere”. President also issued a memo threatening to sanction countries that were suppressing gay rights specifically Ghana. The Archbishop of Canterbury recently voiced that he has “grave concerns” over the bill but later on backtracked and apologized to the Ghanaian government.
The acts in Ghana have prompted an outcry from many human rights organizations and institutions that upholds human rights. These acts not alone attack people’s right to freedom of expression but to freely assemble which are rights that enshrined the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
The Ghanaian government’s stance on the issue arguably does not improve the living of many Ghanaian residents. According to the Hunan rights watch article, many of those detained suffered severe impacts on the individuals’ access to health care, housing, employment, and education. Many of them were disowned by families, forced to move out, lose their jobs, and drop out of school. Many had suffered from serious mental and physical health.
The youth are severely impacted by Ghana’s stance on gay rights where a young person who may be represented as a member of the LGBTQ community can lose rights to an education. Some parents may refuse to pay school fees because of their child’s sexual orientation.
Ghana stated on numerous occasions that they will keep the laws the same and it is non-negotiable. From a societal standpoint advocating for gay rights is extremely frowned upon and is simply a social norm. Ghana has consistently enforced its ruling that “it is criminal to have unnatural carnal knowledge with another person.”
Hi Onesha, I find your post interesting. Human rights violations are symptoms of democratic backsliding. In this case, the new regulations target people’s sexuality, an aspect of their intimacy. Such bill will actually legalize the discrimination that the LGBTQ+ community already faces. As you mentioned, the Ghanaian society shares values that do not tolerate homosexuality. Which engenders hostility against the LGBTQ+ community. And this new bill will worsen the situation, by providing legal grounds to the violence against these people Moreover, the impact of this bill is not limited to their sexuality. It will also affect other fundamental rights like the freedom of speech. That is the case with the criminalization of advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights. Which is actually sad for a marginalized community.