adverts
The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has announced plans to engage the Mahama administration to secure the passage of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill.
Officially known as the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the legislation seeks to amend the Criminal Offences Act of 1960 (Act 29) to outlaw witch doctoring, witch finding, and the practice of accusing or labelling individuals as witches.
The bill, a Private Member’s Bill spearheaded by Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina, and other NDC MPs, was passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023. It was hailed as a significant step toward addressing the dangers and human rights violations linked to witch accusations.
adverts
However, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declined to sign the bill into law, citing concerns about its potential financial implications for the consolidated fund.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, Lambert Luguniah, CHRAJ’s National Representative, expressed optimism about the Mahama administration’s willingness to support the bill.
“Our expectation is to engage the new government… My boss, the commissioner, mentioned recently that there had been preliminary engagements with key government officials, and their disposition is very favourable to the passage of the bill,” Luguniah stated.
He further explained that CHRAJ intends to formally engage the government once it is fully constituted, advocating for the bill to be presented in the president’s name rather than as a private member’s bill. This approach is expected to address the obstacles that prevented its enactment previously.
“So we will formally engage them when the government is fully constituted to ensure the bill is repackaged, even in the name of the president, instead of it remaining a private member’s bill, so it can pass without the encumbrances of the first attempt,” Luguniah added.
The Anti-Witchcraft Bill is seen as a critical measure to protect vulnerable individuals, particularly women and children, from the harmful consequences of witchcraft accusations—a practice that has led to violence and discrimination in many parts of Ghana.
GOT A STORY?
Contact: +233243201960 or email: manuelnkansah33@gmail.com
