Anti-LGBTQI bill is a recipe for violence in Ghana – UN experts warn

According to them, should the government sign the bill into law, it will lead to chaos in the country.

“The draft legislation argues that any person who deviates from an arbitrary standard of sexual orientation or gender identity is immediately to be considered dangerous, sick or anti-social,” said the experts.

They added that “the proposed law promotes deeply harmful practices that amount to ill-treatment and are conducive to torture, such as so-called ‘conversion therapy’ and other heinous violations like unnecessary medical procedures on intersex children, and so-called corrective rape for women.”

The experts stressed that every part of the bill is problematic, hence keeping it as it is or any part of it will be a violation of human rights standards.

“The consideration of this legislation is deeply perplexing in a country that has been regarded as a champion of democracy in Africa, with an impressive record of achieving certain Millennium Development Goals by 2015,” they said.

“The draft legislation appears to be the result of a deep loathing towards the LGBTQI community. It will not only criminalise LGBTQI people, but anyone who supports their human rights, shows sympathy to them or is even remotely associated with them… Given that LGBTQI people are present in every family and every community it is not very difficult to imagine how, if it were to be adopted, this legislation could create a recipe for conflict and violence.”

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The bill, christened the Proper Human Sexual and Ghanaian Family Values Bill’ 2021 has courted a lot of controversy since it was introduced.

Due to its strong stance against LGBTQI, it has drawn the ire of Ghanaian progressives especially on social media.

It will see culprits face a jail term of up to ten years depending on the crime, if passed in its current state.

Individuals of the same sex who engage in sexual intercourse are “liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than seven hundred and fifty penalty units and not more than five thousand penalty units, or to a term of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than five years or both.”