We Are Not Promoting LGBTI Rights - ACILA

William Nyarko, ACILA Executive Director

Executive Director of Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA), Mr. William Nyarko has stated that the recent release of the first ever comprehensive survey on lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender and intersexual people (LGBTI) by his organization is not aimed at promoting the rights of LGBTI persons.

He, however, mentioned that the import of the survey prior to its commencement was rather to monitor Ghana’s acceptance of the recommendations by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to provide equal protection of the Law against violence and discrimination for LGBTI people.

Mr. Nyarko was speaking during a two day ACILA Capacity Building Workshop of the survey titled “Popular Attitudes Towards Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexual People in Ghana”, at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, Accra on Monday July 30^th.

“We are not promoting LGBT rights and neither are we urging the media to go out there to promote their rights. What we are saying is that Ghana has ratified a UN Human Rights recommendation to provide equal protection of the law from violence and discrimination against LGBTI people in accordance with Ghana’s domestic law and International Human Rights Law obligations. This is what we are urging the state to act accordingly”, he stressed.

The survey with a sample size of 1200 respondents and probability sampling method was conducted in a number of urban and rural areas from five regions out of the ten regions from 4^th to 20^th June 2018. They were Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, Volta and Northern regions. 

Lead researcher Mr. Kojo Impraim mentioned that these five regions were chosen due to their cosmopolitan nature. This, he noted that the views of respondents represent the total views of Ghanaians.

Key issues pointed out 

The survey shows that about 60% of Ghanaians strongly disagree or disagree LGBTI people must be treated equally as heterosexuals. The same percentage of respondents are unaware that Ghana has ratified a UN recommendation to provide equal protection of the Law for LGBTI people.

On November 7, 2017, Ghana appeared before the UNHRC for a review of its human rights records under the Universal Periodic Review mechanism. Though Ghana rejected the recommendations to legalize same-sex marriage or decriminalize consensual sexual relation, but accepted to provide Equal Protection of the Law from violence and discrimination against LGBTI people in accordance with Ghana’s domestic law and international human rights law obligations.  

Again, the survey showed over 80% of Ghanaians are aware of their human rights which are guaranteed in the 1992 constitution of Ghana. However, the same percentage of Ghanaians forbid LGBT people from meeting. This development, ACILA boss insisted that it is important we separate the facts that we do not want that act from abusing their basic rights such as physical abuse and homophobic statements.

He mentioned that Ghana declined to legalize same sex marriage when it met with the UN Human Rights Council in 2017, but in so far as Ghana committed itself to give equal protection against violence and discrimination for LGBTI people; this must be recognized as such.   

The survey also showed that more than 80% of Ghanaians –Moslems, Christians and Traditionalists, are very uncomfortable associating themselves with LGBT people. To add to this, the research shows that more than 97% of respondents are aware that the police has a responsibility to protect every citizen against mob injustice. It added that over 94% of Ghanaians agreed that anyone who engages in mob activity must face the law.

However, 20% of Ghanaians disagreed that the police has a responsibility to protect LGBTI people against mob injustice whereas a significant number of Ghanaians (87%) are against allowing LGBTI people holding public meetings to discuss LGBT issues.

This survey clearly shows that Ghanaians are against anything that has to do with LGBTI people and thus, demonstrated a total rejection of their activities. It also tells that if such people avail themselves as LGBT, their lives could be at risk on the basis that Ghanaians are not aware that the rights gays and lesbians must be secured and protected.  

Mr. Nyarko mentioned that no individual or institution in Ghana is pushing for the legalization of LGBT activities, but insisted their inherent basic rights of people must exist.

One interesting outcome of the survey bordered on health matters. Asked if Ghanaians would receive “emergency medical treatment” from a health practitioner perceived to be LGBTI, 67% noted their readiness to do that.

Thirty per cent of Christians, 40% of Moslems and 50% of Traditionalists mentioned they will not receive “emergency medical treatment” from a health staff perceived to be LGBTI. For instance, the result showed that 40% of Ghanaians between the ages of 51-60 years who, naturally could suffer from diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure said they will not receive emergency medical care from doctor or nurse perceived to be LGBTI.