CHRAJ Director calls on Akufo-Addo to sign Anti-Witchcraft Bill

The Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in the Northern Region, Alhassan Seidu, has called on President Akufo-Addo to assent to the Anti-Witchcraft bill.

His call is aimed at combating the unjust tagging of individuals, particularly elderly women, as witches.

The director made these remarks during an event at the Kukuo witches camp in the Nanumba South district, where efforts were made to enrol the inmates onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).

Witchcraft accusations against elderly women persist in Ghana. Persons who are given such tags are usually victimized, endure mayhem and are denied certain human rights by persons who gave them such tags. Elderly women who are forced to endure such inhumane treatment are camped at various places known as Witchcraft camps.

Recognizing these challenges, Parliament passed the Anti-Witchcraft Bill, awaiting presidential assent to become law. Joining the call for the president’s assent is Alhassan Seidu, the Northern Regional Director of CHRAJ, who emphasized the potential of the bill to alleviate the suffering experienced by alleged witches.

Speaking during an event organized by CHRAJ in partnership with Cross Road International, a Canadian NGO, Seidu highlighted the importance of access to healthcare as a fundamental human right for all, including the inmates.

“The most important is not just about the interventions, it is about stopping these allegations. The commission is one of the critical agents that supported and promoted the passage of the Criminal Offenses Amendment Bill in 2021 which is currently before the president for passage. We hope that the president will assent to this bill. When this is done, it will help seriously in preventing the allegations of witchcraft,” he added.

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