Discrimination
Ghana’s parliament tightens penalties for homosexuals
Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo wants to sign the so-called “Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Act” if the majority of his people want it. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
Anyone who identifies as gay, lesbian or otherwise queer will soon risk years of imprisonment in Ghana. While church officials celebrate, others are horrified. Now the president has to sign.
President Nana Akufo-Addo had previously said he would sign the so-called Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Act if the majority of his people wanted it, but has not yet confirmed his decision.
Previous law tightened again
The English abbreviation LGBTQ+ stands for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, trans people and queer people – the plus sign is a placeholder for other identities and genders. Previously, homosexual activity – such as sex with a person of the same sex – could result in a maximum prison sentence of three years. If the new law comes into force, it would add penalties of up to five years for those found to be promoting, funding or supporting LGBTQ+ activities. Even those who simply identify as gay, lesbian, bi or queer risk several years in prison.
Executive Director of the United Nations Program to Combat AIDS (UNAIDS), Winnie Byanyima, warned that the law would “hinder access to life-saving services, undermine social protection and threaten Ghana’s development success.” Human rights activists have long been protesting against the draft, introduced three years ago, which is supported by large parts of the population in Ghana and by Christian, Muslim and other religious communities as well as traditional leaders. Amnesty International criticized the draft as “a significant threat to the fundamental rights and freedoms of LGBT+ people”.
Professor sees threat to human rights
Ghanaian professor Audrey Gadzekpo, chair of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, described the law as “dangerous and abhorrent” and a threat to human rights protected by the constitution. On Tuesday, she said preserving rights and freedoms is crucial to a democracy. Therefore, the claim by the law’s supporters that its passage was justified because the majority of Ghanaians supposedly wanted it was untenable. “Ghana is a secular and multi-religious country.”
The West African coastal state with around 34 million inhabitants is one of the most stable democracies on the continent. In many African countries, recognizing the rights of LGBTQ+ people is seen as a harmful import from the West. The criminalization of same-sex relationships often goes back to laws from the colonial era. According to Human Rights Watch, 33 of the 69 countries that ban homosexuality are in Africa.