Accra ( AFP )- On Wednesday, the parliament of Ghana’s parliament approved a contentious bill that severely limits LGBTQ rights.
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Before becoming laws, which is likely to occur before a general election in December, the invoice must still be validated by the leader.
The” Human Sexual Rights and Family Values” act has been criticized as a loss for individual rights and called for President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration to back down.
However, Ghana’s opposition to the bill is commonly rife, where Akufo-Addo has vowed that gay marriage will never be permitted while in power.
The radical legislation, which is frequently referred to as the anti-gay bill, was supported by a coalition of Christian, Muslim, and classic African leaders and passed in an unopposed voice vote.
Gay sex is already prohibited in the spiritual West African country, but under colonial law, no one has ever been charged with a crime against LGBTQ individuals.
In accordance with the legislation, same-sex relationships may face sentences ranging from six months to three years in prison.
Advocates for LGBTQ rights face harsher punishments, with possible prison sentences of three to five years.
Definitely wrong
Volker Turk, the UN’s representative, criticized the bill’s passage.
He said,” I demand that the costs not become law.” Lawful same-sex behavior should never be criminalized, according to the statement.
He warned that these steps could make people love hate crimes, and urged the government to “ensure people can live free from violence, shame, and prejudice, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The act has also been criticized by a human rights group in Ghana known as the Big 18, an umbrella organization of lawyers and campaigners.
” You never criminalize a person’s identification, and that’s what the expenses is doing and it’s completely wrong,” said Takyiwaa Manuh, a coalition part.
We want to persuade the president not to approve the bill because it blatantly violates the rights of the Gay community, Manuh told AFP.
The bill’s major sponsor, main sponsor Sam George, requested that Akufo-Addo give its assent.
Everything else addresses LGBTQ issues more effectively than the bill that has been passed by the legislature. We anticipate the leader to speak up and speak his mind,” George said.
The impact of the invoice is a concern for Ghana’s LGBTQ area.
Alex Donkor, the organization’s founder and director, said:” This costs will more marginalize and harm LGBTQ people in Ghana.”
He claimed that it” not only legalizes prejudice but also creates a climate of fear and persecution.”
This costs threatens the health and well-being of an already fragile group by imposing severe penalties on LGBTQ activists and individuals.
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Association ( ILGA ) claims that around 30 African nations currently outlaw homosexuality.
Those accused of being in a same-sex relationship face the death penalty, which Uganda, Mauritania, and several other northern African states cruelly enforce.
The single globe country that legalized gay marriage in 2006 is South Africa, which is the only one that does so.
Only a few places, including Cape Verde, Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Mozambique, and the Seychelles, have decriminalized gay sex, according to the ILGA.
AFP 2024 Agency
