Persons Who Accuse Others As Witches To Face Legal Action – Gender Minister
The Minister for Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Madam Lariba Zwueira Abudu, has made a significant announcement regarding accusations of witchcraft in Ghana. She stated that persons who accuse others of being witches or wizards will face legal action.
“Ghana has enacted the ‘Witchcraft Law,’ which criminalizes the act of declaring, accusing, naming, or labeling individuals as witches or wizards,” Madam Lariba delivered this message during a two-day engagement with communities in the Mion and Kumbungu Districts of the Northern Region.
Persons Who Accuse Others As Witches To Face Legal Action – Gender Minister
She appealed to local chiefs and community leaders to safeguard their areas and support the government’s initiatives aimed at improving the entire country for the benefit of all citizens. Madam Lariba emphasized that communities that embrace and perpetuate social problems are unlikely to develop fully while benefiting from government programs.
Furthermore, she highlighted the ministry’s mission, which is to create a society where poverty and vulnerability are minimized, inequality and inequity gaps are bridged, social issues are reduced, and Ghanaians are empowered to contribute to national development.
Madam Lariba’s engagement with the community aimed to foster understanding and acceptance of social protection programs, including human capital development. It also aimed to raise awareness about prevalent social issues such as human trafficking, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, rape, domestic violence, and wrongful accusations related to witchcraft beliefs.
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Witchcraft beliefs and the fear of bewitchment have been the cause of some of the most vicious crimes against vulnerable groups, particularly elderly women, in Ghana. People are accused of being discriminated against, physically assaulted/tortured, and/or murdered.
Persons Who Accuse Others As Witches To Face Legal Action – Gender Minister
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In some African countries, people who recklessly or unlawfully accuse others of being witches hardly get prosecuted let alone convicted. This is partly because the criminal justice systems in most African countries are heavily underfunded or strapped for resources. Hence, investigating or prosecuting criminal cases bordering on witchcraft accusations is never a priority for law enforcement agencies and the State
