The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is calling on Parliament to urgently pass the Anti-Witchcraft Bill, warning that further delays could fuel more violence and human rights violations, particularly against women and children.
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CHRAJ Commissioner Joseph Whittal made the appeal at a forum marking five years since the gruesome lynching of Akua Denteh in the Northern Region. He stressed that the time for action is long overdue.
“The bill is long overdue. Why don’t you pass it, and let anyone with concerns challenge it in court?” Whittal asked. “We now have a president from a region heavily affected by witchcraft accusations, this should be a turning point.”
His remarks come amid a worrying surge in witchcraft-related abuses. On July 22, an 11-year-old girl and three elderly women in Anhwiesu, Central Region, were accused of witchcraft.
A self-proclaimed spiritual classmate alleged the girl had spiritually tied other pupils and conspired with the elderly women to harm a teacher. A public exorcism followed, led by a fetish priest, though the older women refused to participate.
Just days earlier, on July 15, police in the North East Region arrested four suspects for the murder of a 70-year-old woman accused of being a witch. More suspects remain at large.
CHRAJ says these cases highlight a disturbing national pattern, and legal protection is urgently needed to prevent torture, exclusion, and killings rooted in superstition.
The Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2023, commonly called the Anti-Witchcraft Bill, was passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023. The bill criminalizes witch-doctoring, witch-finding, and any form of labeling someone as a witch. It was introduced by Madina MP Francis-Xavier Sosu and other MPs from the opposition NDC.
However, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo declined to assent to the bill, citing concerns over its potential financial burden on the state.
With continued abuse cases making headlines, CHRAJ insists the current administration must act swiftly to safeguard vulnerable Ghanaians and reinforce national human rights commitments.
