The Parliament of Ghana has passed the Criminal Amendment Bill of 2022, which criminalizes the practice of attacking alleged witchcraft and accusing someone of being a witch.
The bill also criminalizes the practices of witch doctors and witch-finders hence any person found guilty of declaring someone a witch or labelling them as such will face criminal charges.
leader proposer of the bill, Francis Xavier Sosu, who is also the Member of Parliament for Madina said that this law is an opportunity for Ghana to up its ranking in human rights globally.
“I’m confident that the president will sign it into law immediately,” he said.
He added that the passing of the bill is going to bring about a mind-shift and correct a lot of ills in society and a significant step forward in putting an end to many human rights violations.
The new legislation also means that all witch camps in Ghana which currently have about 539 people locked up are now illegal.
The MP also clarified that the law is not interfering with anyone’s cultural practices.
“If you are using your wizardry or witchcraft for positive development, go ahead and do it. But if you accuse somebody based on your black magic or charms, that is not acceptable,” he said.
