Women in the Northern Region are passionately urging President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to approve the Anti-Witchcraft Bill, which awaits his endorsement.
This landmark legislation aims to combat gender-based violence, specifically addressing the unjust accusations of witchcraft levelled against older women.
This crucial discussion centred on ensuring justice for women, who are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence.
The call was made at a Gender Base Violence sensitisation programme on Friday.
In the Northern Region, women and girls are particularly susceptible to violence, with alarming rates of abuse and exploitation. The region has been identified as a hotspot for violence against women, including intimate partner violence and accusations of witchcraft.
In regions in the northern part of Ghana, a pervasive form of gender-based violence exist against women, especially elderly and impoverished individuals, of witchcraft. This issue is particularly prevalent in the Northern, North East, and Savannah Regions.
Six witch camps are scattered across these areas, providing refuge for women fleeing false accusations.
These camps include the Kukuo Witches Camp in the Nanumba South District, the Gnani Witches Camp in Yendi, Gushegu, and the Gambaga Witches Camp in the North East Region, with others located in the Savannah Region.
About 1,000 women, falsely accused of witchcraft, reside in these camps, enduring dire living conditions that exacerbate health issues and perpetuate inhumane treatment.
The severity of these accusations prompted the drafting of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill, aimed at eradicating these harmful practices. However, the bill’s implementation hinges on presidential approval, which remains pending.
The second part of the engagement involved chiefs, opinion leaders, women, and people with disabilities. The goal was to provide insight into the issues surrounding witchcraft accusations.
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) Commissioner, Joseph Whital stressed that “Today, we are engaging with stakeholders to sensitse them on Gender Base Violence, particularly witchcraft. This is a serious human rights issue…I am happy the participants are excited and have also shared ideas as to how we should go about it and that would be considered going forward.”
A Christian mother from the Catholic Church in Yendi questioned why women are the sole targets of witchcraft accusations, noting that men with similar powers are often seen as powerful, while women are ostracised and punished.
“My concern is why are women the only people accused of witchcraft? Where do they get? If a man has such powers, he will rather be described in the society as very powerful but for a woman, she would be beaten and ostracised.”
She urged the President to approve the bill for the sake of the poor women in the camps.
“We the Women in the Northern region are on our knees appealing to the President to consider our elderly women, and the vulnerable women and approve the bill for us. This, he should do, and we will never forget him”
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