Bill to prohibit witchcraft accusations progresses to consideration stage in Parliament

The Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022 is currently before Parliament at the consideration stage which is seeking to amend the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) to prohibit the practice by any person as a witch doctor or a witchfinder; to proscribe the declaration, accusation, naming or labeling of another person as a witch; and for related matters.

The Bill also makes provision for the criminalization of witchcraft activities in Ghana but the Committee, as captured in its report however, wondered about the practicability of identifying and establishing witchcraft beliefs and witchcraft activities in law.

In reacting to the concerns of the Committee, the Sponsors of the Bill explained that the Bill is not seeking to criminalize superstitious beliefs, including the belief of the existence or otherwise of witches and wizards.

The Bill rather focuses on criminalizing human rights violations that are occasioned by witchcraft accusations.

The Committee noted with amazement that while witchcraft belief is widespread across Africa and other parts of the world, only Ghana has established “witch camps”.

The need for public policy interventions to deal with the social canker of witchcraft beliefs and its attendant human rights violations becomes more relevant when considering the number of inmates in the various camps and the uninhabitable conditions under which the inmates live.

Information gathered by the Committee indicates that in 2021, the number of inmates in the five prominent Witch Camps in Ghana, namely the Gnani Camp, Kukuo Camp, Gushegu Camp, Gambaga Camp, and Kpatinga Camp was a total of 539. Out of this number, the females constituted 498, representing 92% and the males were

The inmates were all vulnerable persons consisting of older women, single mothers, widows, and unmarried women.

The Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2022 was laid in Parliament on 31st March 2023 by Hon Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, the MP for Madina on behalf of other co-sponsors, under Article 106 (1) of the 1992 Constitution.

1.2 The Sponsors of the Bill are Hon Francis-Xavier Kojo Sosu, Hon Hajia Laadi Ayii Ayamba (MP-Pusiga), Dr. Godfred Seidu Jasaw (MP-Wa East), Hon Helen Adjoa Ntoso (MP-Krachi) West), and Hon Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah (MP-Afram Plains North).

1.3 The Bill was subsequently referred by the Rt Hon Speaker to the Committee on Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs for consideration and report, under Article 106 (4) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 179 of the Standing Orders of Parliament.