Story by Razak Baba, a Journalist
Human Rights Day (HRD) is celebrated annually around the world on December 10 every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation on December 10, 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global enunciation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations. The formal establishment of Human Rights Day occurred at the 317th Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on December 4, 1950, when the General Assembly declared resolution 423(V), inviting all member states and any other interested organizations to celebrate the day as they saw fit.
The day is normally marked both by high-level political conferences and meetings and by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues. Although fundamental human rights are enshrined in constitutions to safeguard the welfare of citizens, some persons do not enjoy such rights to the fullest. This is a result of some cultural practices that have limited their rights and freedoms. In Ghana, some persons include alleged witches, persons with disabilities, and persons who identify with the LGBTQ community.
On this day, I decided to storm a town in the heart of Ghana’s capital city, Accra, called James Town. It is a busy ancient coastal town that is densely populated. Most of the people are fisherfolk and artisans. One suburb of James Town is Bukom. This suburb has produced many of Ghana’s boxing legends.
My mission to James Town was one of curiosity. I had heard tales about the increasing number of males who are alleged to identify as LGBTQ. Although such persons are usually shunned by community members due to cultural and religious differences, they are not threatened in any way. They are usually teased and insulted when they appear in public. I caught up with one of such gentlemen, who goes by the name Kevin Miller (not his real name). He is a 23-year-old hawker. He said he could not further his education due to financial constraints. Miller noted, “my parents could not afford to pay my fees up to the Senior High School level because we have a large family. My father has eight other children aside from me, and I have to fend for myself.”
Asked about how he became gay, Miller believes he was born with that form. He said he started having feelings for the same sex at age 11. “I believe I was born like this. I don’t have feelings for women. My parents thought I was possessed by demons. So they took me to prayer camps, shrines, and other places to exorcise these demons. But all those things did not work.”
He stated that the socio-cultural and religious beliefs of the people frown on the practice, which has led them to be labelled as miscreants. He posited that there are a number of them in the community, some of whose families have deserted them, but they are unperturbed. Miller added that they have become used to the insults and invectives of society. “Very often, you see people hurling insults and unprintable words at you, especially when you, for instance, dress like a woman with make-up and all that.”
As to whether society will eventually accept them and fully integrate them, Miller stated that it will take a long time to achieve that. This, according to him, is because people are very opinionated about the subject due to traditional and religious beliefs.
Article 12 of Ghana’s 1992 constitution, among others, states that “Every person in Ghana, whatever his race, place of origin, political opinion, color, religion, creed, or gender, shall be entitled to the fundamental human rights and freedoms contained in this chapter, but subject to respect for the rights and freedoms of others and for the public interest.”
If this clause, among others, is anything to go by,then the rights and freedoms of some minority groups, such as the LGBTQ community, have been trampled and shifted to the back burner. Their fundamental human rights, as espoused in the declaration by the UN, are therefore of no effect.
Ghana is signatory to a number of conventions and must be seen to protect the fundamental human rights of all persons with equity. The State is under obligation to protect the rights and freedoms of all citizens, no matter what. Social justice is a collective responsibility that ought to be executed without ill will. It is incumbent on State institutions such as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), which has legal mandate to protect all persons to be up and doing in order to help remove the stigma associated with persons like Kevin within that pace.
Also, human rights activists and journalists must consistently press home the need for all persons to enjoy their rights and freedoms as enshrined in the Constitution. Being an interphase between state actors and society, it behoves them to champion the cause of the marginalized in society. In a densely religious and cultural state like Ghana, where freedom of association is guaranteed on paper, a lot of work needs to be done to rewrite the narrative.
Members of this community, first and foremost, are humans and are entitled to enjoy their rights, which must not be hindered by religion or cultural beliefs. Their population keeps increasing by the day, and therefore civil society groups, among others, also need to intensify campaigns in a sustained manner to protect the dignity of this marginalized segment, who face persecution in some countries, and to also contribute their quota to the development aspirations.
For now, the rights of such persons have been curtailed, and only time and opportunity remain their hope. It is also said that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a step”.
The time to act is now.