The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has renewed its call on Parliament to expedite the passage of the long delayed Anti Witchcraft Bill, citing a disturbing surge in witchcraft related violence and abuse across Ghana.
At a forum marking five years since the brutal lynching of Akua Denteh in the Northern Region, CHRAJ Commissioner Joseph Whittal joined civil society groups in demanding urgent legislative action to safeguard vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, often targeted by baseless accusations of witchcraft.
“The bill is long overdue,” Mr. Whittal declared. “Why don’t you allow the bill to pass, and then anybody who thinks there is a basis for challenging it can take it to the Supreme Court? We now have another president who, interestingly, comes from the very region where most of these witchcraft accusations are reported.”
The renewed appeal follows a string of recent incidents that underscore the ongoing threat. On July 22, in Anhwiesu in the Central Region, an 11 year old girl and three elderly women were accused of spiritual attacks after a classmate claimed to have spiritual powers. The girl was subjected to a public exorcism involving a fetish priest, while the elderly women, who denied the allegations, were also publicly humiliated.
Just days earlier, on July 15, four individuals were arrested in the North East Region in connection with the murder of a 70 year old woman in Sangbana, who had been accused of witchcraft. Police say the suspects initially fled the village but were tracked down through intelligence led operations. Several others remain at large.
CHRAJ warns these incidents are part of a growing pattern of abuse, ostracism, and in some cases, murder — fueled by superstition and a lack of legal safeguards.
The Anti Witchcraft Bill, officially known as the Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2023, aims to amend Ghana’s Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), to outlaw the practice of witch doctoring and witch finding, as well as the act of labelling or accusing someone of being a witch.
The Private Member’s Bill, introduced by Madina MP Francis Xavier Kojo Sosu and other MPs from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), was passed by Parliament on July 28, 2023. However, it was never signed into law by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, who raised concerns over its potential financial burden on the consolidated fund.
Human rights advocates argue that delaying the bill’s implementation leaves many at risk and undermines Ghana’s commitments to the rule of law and human dignity.