The Minister of State of the United Kingdom for Development and Africa, Andrew Mitchell has expressed disappointment at Ghana’s passage of the LGBTQ+ Bill.
The reaction follows Ghana’s Parliament’s passing of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill after a third reading on 28th February 2024.
The Parliament of Ghana on Wednesday unanimously passed a controversial anti-homosexuality bill that has drawn international condemnation. The bill is currently awaiting presidential assent.
Reacting to it, the Minister of State of the United Kingdom for Development and Africa, Mitchell on X, formerly Twitter on Thursday, 29th of February, said the passage of the bill would undermine the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Ghanaians.
“If it becomes law, this will undermine freedoms for all Ghanaians,” his post read.
He called on Ghana to uphold human rights by living up to the “constitutional and international obligations”.
The bill, which was introduced in the parliament in 2021, not only criminalizes LGBTQ relationships but also those who support LGBTQ rights.
African countries still widely criminalize same-sex activity, mostly because of colonial-era laws.
But a raft of recent bills and proposed laws across Africa have looked to clarify and, in some cases, strengthen those laws.
In related news, the United Nations human rights chief Volker Türk called parliament’s passing of the bill “profoundly disturbing” and urged the government not to sign it into law.
“The bill broadens the scope of criminal sanctions against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transexual and queer people – simply for being who they are – and threatens criminal penalties against perceived allies of LGBTQ+ people,” he said.
The UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima also responding to the passing of the bill, warned that if the bill did become a law it would “affect everyone” and hamper the country’s fight against HIV and AIDS.
“Approaches rooted in inclusion of all people have been crucial to Ghana’s progress in the HIV response,” Byanyima said in a statement.
“To achieve the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, it is vital to ensure that everyone has equal access to essential services without fear, stigma or discrimination and that providers of life-saving HIV prevention, testing, treatment, and care services are supported in their work,” she said.
Byanyima warned if the bill becomes law, “it will negatively impact on free speech, freedom of movement and freedom of association” and “obstruct access to life-saving services, undercut social protection, and jeopardize Ghana’s development success.
“Evidence shows that punitive laws like this bill are a barrier to ending AIDS, and ultimately undermine everyone’s health.”
USA
The United States State Department also on Wednesday in a statement noted that Washington was “deeply troubled” by the passing of the law, saying it would “threaten all Ghanaians’ constitutionally-protected freedoms of speech, press, and assembly.”
“Limiting the rights of one group in a society undermines the rights of all. The United States echoes the call by those Ghanaians who have urged a review of the constitutionality of the bill to protect the rights of all individuals in Ghana,” the statement from State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
The US State Department also reiterated the undermining impact the bill will have across the country’s “public health, media and civic spaces, and economy.”
“International business coalitions have already stated that such discrimination in Ghana would harm business and economic growth in the country,” the statement added.
-BY Daniel Bampoe