4H Ghana-a youth development Organization has suggested the formulation of a draft bill to outlaw all dehumanizing cultural practices in Ghana following the lynching of 90-year-old woman Akua Denteh for allegedly possessing witchcraft.
A statement issued Wednesday, July 29,2020, in Koforidua and signed by Appiah Kwaku Boateng Executive Director of 4H-Ghana stated that “we call on the Minister of Gender and Social Protection, representing the Executive arm of government, to as a matter of urgency, constitute a committee made up of CSOs, NGOs, and other governmental Institutions to come out with a draft bill to be submitted to Parliament to be enacted into law as soon as possible to outlaw this cultural practices such as Witchcraft Camps and all those associated be punished, Early child marriage, Trokosi, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other practices which inhibit our developmental process.
We also call on Parliament to give such Bill a certificate of urgency in passing it into a law to outlaw these cultural practices, mentioned above which inhibit our developmental process.
We call on the President of Ghana, to give his accent as soon possible should Parliament pass into law”.
The organization also called on the Religious Community, the Pentecostal Council, Catholic Bishops, Christian Council, the Moslem Council, the National Peace Council, CSOs, NGOs, and well-meaning Ghanaians who believe in the restoration of dignity to provide support to aged persons in the community.
Below is the full statement
STATEMENT OF CONDEMNATION AND CALL FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION ON THE LYNCHING OF MADAM AKUA DENTEH, A 90-YEAR OLD WOMAN IN KAFABA IN THE EAST GONJA DISTRICT IN THE SAVANNAH REGION.
The world read with sorrow and disheartening, the gruesome, barbaric, and obnoxious lynching of the 90-year old woman in Kafaba in East Gonja District of the Savannah Region, in Ghana. With Ghana’s level of development in over 63 years of independence, it has come with shock but not surprising because we have allowed the impunity to destroy developmental processes, all in the name of TRADITION!!!!!
It should be noted that developed countries we see today and admired at certain stages have to do away with some of these heinous and unwanted traditions and customs which impedes human development to get to where they are now. Several studies and sensitizations have been conducted by NGOs, CSOs, and Governmental Institutions on some of these issues but NOBODY has seen wisdom to halt this inhuman practice, all in the realm of TRADITION!!!!
The unfortunate situation is having some people in authority accepting it as a value and a heritage from our ancestors which must continue, however, none of our political leaders (MPs, Ministers, etc) and the fortunate successful personalities from such communities have had their mothers and grandmothers in such situation. The solitary conditions in which these vulnerable women live are against their fundamental human rights enshrine in chapter 5 of the 1992 Constitution.
Our Parliamentarians have been voted as lawmakers to pass legislation to free people from such arbitrary conditions they found themselves in the communities. We urgently need our lawmakers to go to their communities and look at some of these critical issues and send them to parliament for laws to be made for redress.
How long shall we sit down and watch the innocent lives of women and children suffer and die all in the name of TRADITION!!!!
4-H Ghana, a positive youth development organization, with a focus to make young people self-directing, productive and contributing members of society, believes in the United Nations Conventions and Treaties and the Constitution of Ghana that put human beings first in all developmental processes and makes the following statement for immediate ACTION;
That is not a SIMPLE issue for Institutions like NCCE, CHRAJ and NGOs, etc to address. This is beyond these institutions which by law are mandated to educate and inform the citizenry on their rights and responsibilities. This is a deep rotten traditional norm that needs to be uprooted unequivocally without compromise.
We, therefore, call on the Minister of Gender and Social Protection, representing the Executive arm of government, to as a matter of urgency, constitute a committee made up of CSOs, NGOs, and other governmental Institutions to come out with a draft bill to be submitted to Parliament to be enacted into law as soon as possible to outlaw this cultural practices such as Witchcraft Camps and all those associated be punished, Early child marriage, Trokosi, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and other practices which inhibit our developmental process.
We also call on Parliament to give such Bill a certificate of urgency in passing it into a law to outlaw these cultural practices, mentioned above which inhibit our developmental process.
We call on the President of Ghana, to give his accent as soon possible should Parliament pass into law.
We also call on the Religious Community, the Pentecostal Council, Catholic Bishops, Christian Council, The Moslem Council, the National Peace Council, CSOs, NGOs and well-meaning Ghanaians who believe in the restoration of the dignity of these our unfortunate mothers and grandmothers to establish a fund to provide shelter, food, and clothing as an immediate stop-gap, while we wait for the relevant Ministries and Agencies to work on the laws.
We also challenge the various District Assemblies and the Regional Co-ordinating Councils in the affected Districts and Regions to immediately put together structures to liaise with the CSOs, NGOs, and other Religious Organizations to provide immediate relief as stated above.
We call on all Ghanaians not only to condemn this act but to act swiftly so that it is not put to rest as it has always been.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
VULNERABLE WOMEN’S LIVES MATTER
Thank you.
Appiah Kwaku Boateng
Executive Director /Board member- Global 4-H Network
Source: Mybrytfmonline/Obed Ansah
