The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has reintroduced the bill that criminalizes witchcraft accusations.
His actions seek to guarantee greater protection for vulnerable elderly women ahead of the International Women’s Day, which is celebrated each year on March 8.
Renowned Human Rights and Public Interest lawyer recalled that the anti-witchcraft accusations bill was passed by the 8th Parliament on Thursday, July 27, 2023, but was not assented to by the former President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s governance.
In refusing to assent to the bill, President Akufo-Addo, in a letter to Parliament dated November 27, 2023, said, “After thorough consideration in the light of constitutional issues, I’m unable to assent to these bills.”
He said, “I raised specific constitutional concerns regarding the bills related to Article 108, particularly the nature of these bills which were introduced to Parliament as private member’s bills rather than being presented by or on my behalf.”
“The content of these bills has my support, but we need to ensure that they are enacted in line with established constitutional and legislative processes,” he stated.
Angel News reporter Augustine Ahiabor, report that the MP has been at the forefront of this legislation, petitioning the Council of State, ECOWAS, AU Commission, and the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to exert pressure on the President to assent to the bill, with CHRAJ releasing its Advisory Opinion on Monday, July 1, 2024, urging the former President to do so.
However, with the dissolution of the 8th Parliament, the bill naturally terminated, hence the need for the bill to be reintroduced in the 9th Parliament for processing and passage.
Sosu concluded that he will not relent until the bill is passed and operationalized to secure the dignity of elderly women under Article 15 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and other relevant international treaties that Ghana has ratified.
