Young Peoples and Human Rights Ghana

Thursday, November 03, 2011 ACCRA, Ghana (AFP) — Ghana's leader yesterday vowed not to back any bid to legalise homosexuality in the west African country, scoffing at Britain's threat to cut off aid to countries that fail to recognise gay rights. "I, as president of this nation, will never initiate or support any attempts to legalise homosexuality in Ghana," John Atta Mills told reporters. British Prime Minister David Cameron said at the weekend that his country will consider withholding aid from countries that do not recognise gay rights. JOHN ATTA MILLS… will never initiate or support any attempts to legalise homosexuality in Ghana Atta Mills said Cameron "...does not have the right to direct other sovereign nations as to what they should do especially where their societal norms and ideals are different from those that exist" in Britain. Cameron made the threat after Commonwealth leaders failed to adopt a recommendation to call for an end to homophobic la

The office of the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, says threats made by the Prime Minister to suspend aid to African countries that prohibit gay rights was in the context of the efforts of the British government to promote human rights around the world. Speaking to the Daily Graphic in London, Ms Helen Bower, a spokesperson at the Number 10 Downing Street Press Office, said “the UK Government is at the forefront of work to promote human rights around the world, and regularly criticise governments which violate those rights”. Reacting to media reports in Ghana in respect of the United Kingdom’s financial aid to the Third World and respect for human rights, Ms Bower explained that efforts by the British government included working to end religious intolerance and persecution, as well as discrimination against individuals on the basis of their sexuality. She said the issues were not only on gays as the Ghanaian media had contextualized it. At the just-ended summit of the Commonw

Nana Oye Lithur, Human Rights lawyer A Human Rights lawyer, Nana Oye Lithur, has stated that President Mills’ denouncement of gayism does not set aside the guaranteed constitutional rights of all persons including homosexuals in Ghana. She said irrespective of the President’s abhorrence of homosexuality and Ghana’s cultural and social stigma against it, gays do not infringe on any legal or constitutional provisions while exercising their sexual preference. She said Ghana’s laws and Criminal Code are silent on homosexuality. In his recent response to British Premier David Cameron’s aid cut threat to anti-gay countries, President Mills said decisively that he will never legalise homosexuality. However, in an interview with Citi News on Thursday, Oye Lithur said the president is entitled to his opinion, but underscored the need to also respect the hum

Nana Oye Lithur, Human Rights lawyer A Human Rights lawyer, Nana Oye Lithur, has stated that President Mills’ denouncement of gayism does not set aside the guaranteed constitutional rights of all persons including homosexuals in Ghana. She said irrespective of the President’s abhorrence of homosexuality and Ghana’s cultural and social stigma against it, gays do not infringe on any legal or constitutional provisions while exercising their sexual preference. She said Ghana’s laws and Criminal Code are silent on homosexuality. In his recent response to British Premier David Cameron’s aid cut threat to anti-gay countries, President Mills said decisively that he will never legalise homosexuality. However, in an interview with Citi News on Thursday, Oye Lithur said the president is entitled to his opinion, but underscored the need to also respect the hum

A legislator in Ghana's Parliament Gifty Ohene Konadu has jumped to the defence of British Prime Minister David Cameron, who has served notice to anti-gay African states to relax laws on homosexuals or face aid cut from the UK. Cameron has come under intense lampoon across Africa for what many describe as interference in the affairs of sovereign nations of the continent and a clear disregard for African culture. However, speaking to Citi News on Tuesday, Honourable Konadu said she wonders why some people are riled up by Mr Cameron’s message. She added that homosexuals are human beings who must enjoy their rights and not to be condemned. According to the MP for Asante Akim South, the comment made by the UK premier calls for a sober analysis for the appropriate conclusions to be drawn and not for Ghanaians to condemn him in a scathing and vitriolic manner. “I don’t understand why people are talking about just one set of people. .. in any case these are human beings and they must enjo

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Accra Press Release on the British Prime Minister's 'Homosexuality Threat' To Ghana Accra, 03 November, 2011: The Coalition against Homophobia in Ghana (CAHG), the Gay and Lesbian Association of Ghana (GALAG) and other LGBT Networks in Ghana are surprised and in total shock at the increased interest by the UK government to withdraw aid to some African countries who are homophobic. Though the Coalition have no problem with calling on government to abide by the British code of conduct for financial support, we believe LGBT people do not live in isolation in Africa. We have families and friends who need these aids to survive on daily basis. Cutting aid to some selected Africa countries due to homophobic laws therefore will not help the LGBT people in these countries, but will rather stigmatize these groups and individuals. LGBT people will be used as scape goats for government inability to support its citizens and some sectors of the economy. The challe