The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is encouraging Parliament to conduct extensive consultations with Ghana’s LGBTQ+ community before moving forward with the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill.
CHRAJ explicitly requests that Parliament begin a discourse with all stakeholders engaged in order to protect the rights and dignity of minority communities.
While the topic on LGBTQ+ rights in Africa remains highly disputed, authorities, according to CHRAJ, should offer an open space for dialogue, negotiation, and discussion on these contentious subjects.
Deputy CHRAJ Commissioner, Mercy Larbi, speaking on behalf of Commissioner Joseph Whittal at the Christop Heyns African Human Rights Moot Court Competition held at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), emphasized the importance of Parliament conducting extensive consultations before passing the bill in order to protect the interests of all parties involved.
“It is in recognition of this reality that CHRAJ, as part of its contribution to the LGBT debate which ensued as a result of the consideration of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Proper Family Values Bill, submitted a memorandum to Parliament and strongly recommended to the House to embark on extensive engagements with all stakeholders, including the LGBT community, to arrive at outcomes that secure the dignity of everyone.”
“CHRAJ believes that it is when we listen to one another as Africans that we can agree to uphold the fundamental rights of our brothers and sisters who may not necessarily look like the majority of the population,” she stated.
