The Member of Parliament for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu has petitioned the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the United Nations, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and other bodies to compel President Akufo-Addo to assent to the anti-witchcraft bill.
The bill, which aims to protect vulnerable women who are unjustly accused of witchcraft and subjected to inhumane treatment, was passed by Parliament but has yet to be signed into law.
The Madina MP hinted at petitioning the ECOWAS weeks ago following the president’s delay in signing the anti-witchcraft bill into law despite its passage by Parliament.
Amnesty International and other organizations have also called for prompt action on the bill to safeguard vulnerable women from discriminatory practices and inhumane treatment.
In an interview with Citi News, Mr. Sosu explained that the petitions seek to invoke articles in international human charters to get President Akufo-Addo to assent to the anti-witchcraft bill.
He emphasized the importance of protecting women who are falsely accused of witchcraft and subjected to violence due to such accusations.
“We are invoking the human rights provisions in the constitution of Ghana, and human rights provision in the African Charter on Human and People Rights and Convention and Political Right and the UN Universal Declaration right, we are invoking all these instruments and petitioning the following institutions which are the CHRAJ, also the council of state in Ghana asking them for an intervention, we have petitioned the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva-Switzerland and then the Chairperson, African Union Commission (AUC).
“We have also petitioned the Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and finally the President of the ECOWAS Commission and so we are hoping that each of these petitions would be worked on by the individual organizations and institutions to compel the president to assent to the bill.”
In a plea to the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, Sosu urged her to join the advocacy efforts and speak to the President on behalf of women’s rights.
He called on all women’s groups and advocates to raise their voices against the injustices faced by women accused of witchcraft, emphasizing the need for urgent action to address these issues.
“All the women groups and women advocates who speak for and on behalf of women must be able to speak to the president. I believe that Rebecca Akufo-Addo should be able to speak to the president that look this is unfair to women who are being killed, women who are suffering, historical accusation, look, let’s do something about it and it’s well within the constitution.”
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