Beatings and public humiliation of suspected LGBTQ+ persons are commonplace in Ghana, the U.S. Department of State’s 2021 Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices released on 12 April 2022 has said.
On acts of violence, criminalisation, and other abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the document noted: “Beatings and public humiliation of LGBTQI+ persons by community members were common and growing in number”.
“The attacks were sometimes shared on social media in an effort to further humiliate and ostracise LGBTQI+ persons”, it added.
“There were some reports of police violence against LGBTQI+ persons”, adding: “LGBTQI+ persons faced police harassment and extortion attempts”.
It said there were reports that police officers were “reluctant” to investigate claims of assault or violence against LGBTQI+ persons.
“Stigma, intimidation, and the perceived negative attitude of some police toward LGBTQI+ persons were factors in preventing survivors from reporting incidents of abuse”, the report observed.
It indicated: “LGBTQI+ activists also reported widespread attempts to blackmail LGBTQI+ individuals, with prosecution difficult due to police inaction”.
Also, the report said: “LGBTQI+ persons in prison were vulnerable to sexual and other physical abuse, which authorities generally did not investigate”.
The US Department of State said there was “a notable increase in anti-LGBTQI+ statements by political, religious, and community leaders, and media coverage of these statements”.
Ghana’s law criminalises the act of “unnatural carnal knowledge,” which is defined as “sexual intercourse with a person in an unnatural manner or with an animal.”
The offence covers only persons engaged in same-sex male relationships and those in heterosexual relationships.
The report, however, noted: “There were no reports of adults prosecuted or convicted for consensual same-sex sexual conduct”.
The law, it noted, “does not explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. LGBTQI+ persons faced widespread discrimination in education and employment”.
It said activists working to promote the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons noted “great difficulty” in engaging officials on LGBTQI+ problems because of social and political sensitivity.
Furthermore, it said media coverage regarding homosexuality and related topics “was almost always negative”.
On 2 February 2021, a local NGO, LGBT+ Rights Ghana, inaugurated its new office space in the Ashongman area of Accra.
After anti-LGBTQI+ activists complained of their activities in the local media, the police, on February 15, raided the centre and closed it.
Also, on March 27, the police arrested 22 persons in Kwahu-Obomeng, Eastern Region, for participating in an alleged lesbian wedding.
The police arrived at a popular community location in response to reports that two women planned to be married.
The police justified the arrests on the grounds that the venue’s owner complained that the participants were violating COVID-19 protocols, the report recalled.
However, the authorities released them due to a lack of evidence.
On May 20, the police arrested 21 LGBTQI+ activists attending a conference in the city of Ho, Volta Region.
On its official Twitter account, the police acknowledged making the arrests because the suspects were believed to be pro-LGBTQI+.
The authorities charged the “Ho 21” with unlawful assembly, conspiracy to commit a crime, and acts of “unnatural carnal knowledge.”
After multiple requests, on June 11, the authorities released them on bail.
On August 5, a court dropped all charges, for lack of evidence, and ordered the return of the defendants’ confiscated property, including laptops and smartphones.
The LGBTQI+ activists reported harassment and humiliation by police during their detention, the report indicated.
“They also reported their inability to return to their previous lives, since they were suspended from work and banned from their communities after their identities were broadcast by police”, it added.
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