The Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD) and the Human Rights Coalition have vowed to fight the Anti-LGBTQI+ outside Parliament.
This comes after Ghana’s Parliament on Wednesday February 28, 2024 passed the Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values also known as the anti-LGBTQI+ bill.
The Bill seeks to unequivocally criminalise LGBTQI+ activities.
Persons caught in the act would be subjected to 6 months to 3 year jail term with promoters and sponsors of the act bearing a 3 to 5 year jail term.
The bill also proposes that a person who, by use of media, technological platform, technological account or any other means, produces, procures, markets, broadcasts, disseminates, publishes or distributes a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, or a person uses an electronic device, the Internet service, a film, or any other device capable of electronic storage or transmission to produce, procure, market, broadcast, disseminate, publishes or distribute a material for purposes of promoting an activity prohibited under the Bill, commits an offence and is liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than ten years.
In a statement, CDD) and the Human Rights Coalition stated that Parliament is only one player in the law-making process and that Parliament does not have the final say in determining whether a bill becomes law or, even if a bill were to become law, whether that law passes the test of constitutionality.
“While we find passage of this bill by Ghana’s Parliament regrettable, the action of Parliament does not come as a surprise. The mass hysteria and fanaticism which proponents of the bill had mobilized in support of the bill and against anyone who dared to oppose it made level-headed debate about the bill practically impossible. Consequently, its passage by Parliament became politically unstoppable, particularly in a tough election year.”
“Notwithstanding Parliament’s action yesterday, we remain resolute in our conviction that this bill is grossly ill-conceived, unconstitutional, and not in the best interest of the nation. It would be a major setback for Ghana and its standing as a democratic society if such a bill was to become law,” the statement said.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu
