29th February 2024 11:51:30 AM
3 mins readFormer leader of the #FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, expressed concern over the recent approval of the LGBTQ+ bill, highlighting its potential negative impact on future generations.Emphasising the importance of democracy reflecting the people's will, he denounced the newly passed Proper Human Values Bill as draconian and blatantly unconstitutional, casting a shadow on the nation's commitment to human rights.Barker-Vormawor warned that history will judge the Parliament and its members harshly for this decision.He said “ The passage of the draconian and clearly unconstitutional Proper Human Values Bill reflects poorly on our democracy and our commitment to human rights .
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“Posterity will judge this Parliament and us harshly.”Parliament has passed the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill also known as the anti-LGBTQ bill after three years following its introduction.
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During Wednesday’s Parliamentary session Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin sought to make amendments to the bill during the second consideration stage citing human right infringement.
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However, the Minority rejected his request, prompting the Speaker to push for the third consideration stage,.
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Speaker Alban Bagbin put the bill to a voice vote and the ayes had it.
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As it stands now, Parliament has tabled the bill to the President's desk for President Akufo-Addo to assent to the bill to become law.
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The Anti-LGBTQ+ bill aims to criminalize LGBTQ+ activities in Ghana. It proposes strict penalties, including imprisonment, for individuals engaged in activities related to homosexuality and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
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Additionally, the bill seeks to prohibit the promotion of LGBTQ+ rights, organizations, and events in Ghana.
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Prior to its passage, there had been several amendments to the bill. After deliberation, Parliament decided that the minimum custodial sentence has been set at three years, with a maximum of five years for promoters and sympathisers.
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Additionally, individuals caught directly engaging in these activities will face a minimum sentence of six months, extendable to a maximum of three years.
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Ghana is among many African countries that are working to rid LGBTQ activities in the society. Uganda enacted one of the world’s harshest anti-gay laws in May, which calls for the death penalty for certain same-sex acts.
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Following this, the country faced sanctions from international communities. The U.S. imposed a first round of visa restrictions on Ugandan officials in response to the law in June, and the World Bank halted new lending to the country in August.
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The concern now is Ghana could face similar sanctions and be blocked from receiving financial aid from countries that uphold LGBTQ rights. But Parliamentarians have noted that Ghana is poised to withstand whatever pro-LGBTQ countries throw at them.
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Already, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has described the passage of bill as "profoundly disturbing."
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A portion of the UN Human Rights statement read “I call for the bill not to become law. I urge the Ghanaian Government to take steps to ensure everyone can live free from violence, stigma and discrimination, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Consensual same-sex conduct should never be criminalized.”
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