We will commence legal action against LGBT bill if passed – Amnesty International

Amnesty International has stated that it will institute legal action against the LGBT bill if passed by Parliament.

This comes on the back of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) advocating a revision of sections of the proposed promotion of Proper Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Value Bill 2021 also known as the Anti-LGBTQ bill.

The Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference has also voiced its support for the bill and also emphasized that criminalizing sexual orientation of individuals is wrong.

Speaking on Starr Today with Joshua Kojo Mensah, the Country Director for Amnesty International Genevieve Partington said the bill is against the Constitution of Ghana and must be rejected.

“First of all the bill does not even define who an LGBT person is, there is no definition. So how are you going to identify who an LGBT person is?"

“There is a certain part of the bill that talks about romantic displays of affection. How do you define romantic affection between the same sex? So do you see two men holding hands apart from the LGBT community? These are some of the concerns that we have raised from the bill and so many other parts that we have issues with,” Madam Patington stated.

“So it is going to bring homophobia in Ghana” adding that now that Ghana gives visas on arrival tourists may be wrongly arrested.

“Persons suspected to be LGBT are being forced from their houses, landlords and landlords are going through a forced eviction process. We really have to be concerned with this bill as Ghanaians and understand that it will not just affect the LGBT community."

“I have always said that Amnesty International completely rejects this bill, it should not exist and criminalizing persons for an activity that happens in their bedroom is actually against international human rights laws. So we should not even be considering it.

“It is against the 1992 Constitution so all these things we have to consider. For Amnesty International should the bill be passed we will take it to court. As we are allowed to so that is the agenda we have,” she added.