The Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), has said the “Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill,” could violate the fundamental human rights of the citizenry if passed into law.
Mr Michael Augustus Akagbor, the Senior Project Officer for Human Rights and Social Inclusion at CDD-Ghana, said the Bill also known as the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill, infringed on the humanity of Ghanaians, not necessarily the LGBTQ+ community alone.
He said, “In any democratic dispensation, rights should not be contingent on anything outside the humanity of the human being. The bill violates the human rights enshrined in chapter five of the 1992 Constitution.”
Mr Akagbor said this in Tamale during a workshop organised by CDD-Ghana for the media to harness right-based reporting.
The two-day workshop was aimed at equipping the media to adopt a right-based approach in reporting on issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
It seeks to sensitise the media on promoting fundamental human rights while maintaining free speech.
Mr Akagbor said the 1992 Constitution was a comprehensive one that covered every citizen, saying the country did not need any bill because a provision had already been made for everyone within the existing legislation.
He added that the Constitution operated on the principle of neutrality, written in clear language, and made no discrimination.
Mr Akagbor argued that “If the Constitution does not discriminate, basically, it makes no sense to be having an LGBTQ+ discussion, because the LGBTQ+ community are already covered by the Constitution as we have it today.”
He said the essence of the workshop was to share knowledge in the media space about the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill and its implications for the public, which was currently low.
He noted that it was critical to engage the media due to their role in shaping public opinion saying the media played a symbolic role in sensitising people.
GNA
AF/CAA/LAA
18 Jan. 2024
