WiLDAF Ghana calls for justice for 90-year-old lady

The Women in Law and Development in Africa (the WiLDAF Ghana Network) are calling for justice for the 90-year-old lady Madam Akua Denteh, who was lynched and murdered by some women.
According to sources, the 90-year-old was accused of being a “witch” by a self styled seer at Kafaba in the Savannah region.
In a statement, WiLDAF Ghana Network said,”We call on the police to not only expedite their processes to ensure the arrest of the alleged perpetrators, but also expand the net of culpability to include those who abetted this crime, including those who stood by, watched and did nothing while the late Madam Akua Denteh was being murdered.”
WiLDAF Ghana Network also urged the Regional and national houses of chiefs to deploy their own structures to support the immediate arrest and prosecution of such criminals, their promoters and supporters.
 
Below is a statement:
WILDAF GHANA CONDEMNS THE LYNCHING OF MADAM AKUA DENTEH AND CALL FOR JUSTICE FOR HER AND OTHER VICTIMS/SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL AND GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (SGBV)
Women in Law and Development in Africa (the WiLDAF Ghana Network) condemn the brutal murder of the 90-year-old Madam Akua Denteh in no uncertain terms.
 
Incidents such as what happened to the late Madam Akua Denteh bring to the fore the reality of the persistence of Violence against Women, violence against the aged, other forms of Sexual and Gender Based Violence including domestic violence, violence against children, shrouded in culture and other social norms in our communities and society at large. It also made apparent, our tolerance of such violence, as in the viral video which exposed offence being committed, people stood by and looked on while the late Madam Akua Denteh was murdered.
 
Articles 13 of the Constitution of Ghana guarantees the right to life for every Ghanaian and also prohibits anyone from taking another person’s life. So also does Article 15 guarantee that the dignity of all [Ghanaians] shall be inviolable”, and prohibits anyone “arrested, restricted, or retained’ from being subjected to “torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. Article 19 also guarantees the right to a fair trial for any accused person. All of these rights appeared to have been denied the late Madam Akua Denteh as she was subjected to a Trial by Ordeal, resulting in her untimely demise.
 
We wish to remind the general public that in addition to the murder, the violence perpetrated against the late Madam Akua Denteh particularly as it emanated from a harmful and dehumanizing traditional practice of Trial by Ordeal, is criminal. The Criminal and Other Offences Act as amended at sections 315 and 316 prohibits such practice. Again, section 1(b)I and 1(d) of the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 as amended also criminalise such acts. Yet also, sections 20 and 23 of the Criminal and other offences Act prohibits the abetment of crime and conspiracy to commit a crime.
 
With the above Constitutional and statutory refences in mind, we commend the Police for “dispatching homicide experts to hunt for the alleged murderers”^[1]. We call on the police to not only expedite their processes to ensure the arrest of the alleged perpetrators, but also expand the net of culpability to include those who abetted this crime, including those who stood by, watched and did nothing while the late Madam Akua Denteh was being murdered.
 
We also commend the Gonja Traditional Council for denouncing such acts and urge them to support the police in their “hunt” for the perpetrators of such a heinous crime.  We also urge the Regional and national houses of chiefs to deploy their own structures to support the immediate arrest and prosecution of such criminals, their promoters and supporters.
 
 
#JusticeforAkuaDenteh
#GhanaianWomen’sLivesMatter
#OldWomen’sLivesMatter
#StoptheViolenceAgainstWomen
#StoptheViolenceAgainsttheAged
#RespectforandValueforHumanLife
 
Signed:
Melody Darkey
National Programmes Coordinator
0243313682
 
26^th July 2020
[1] See the Statement from the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service on 26^th July 2020
 
 
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