The persecution of people accused of witchcraft in Ghana is a disturbing reminder that superstition, gender discrimination and entrenched cultural beliefs can still undermine the fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution.
The existence of so-called ‘witch camps’ represents a national human rights crisis that demands urgent legislative, institutional and social intervention.
These camps shelter people, predominantly elderly women, who have fled their communities after being accused of causing illness, death, infertility or other misfortunes through alleged supernatural powers.
Many have suffered beatings, banishment and attempted lynching.
Having lost their homes, livelihoods and family support, they are compelled to live in conditions of poverty and insecurity.
Amnesty International’s 2025 report, “Branded for Life”, documented the plight of hundreds of women facing violence, abandonment and inadequate access to food, clean water, healthcare and decent shelter.
These are violations of fundamental human rights.
The 1992 Constitution provides an unequivocal legal framework for protecting persons accused of witchcraft.
Article 15 declares that the dignity of all persons is inviolable and prohibits torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Subjecting an elderly woman to beatings or forced exorcism because somebody believes her to be a witch is incompatible with this constitutional guarantee.
Article 17 guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination on grounds including gender, social or economic status and other constitutionally protected characteristics.
The disproportionate targeting of elderly, poor and socially disadvantaged women raises serious concerns about unequal protection.
Article 13 protects the right to life, while Article 14 safeguards personal liberty.
Where accusations lead to attempted murder or confinement against a person's will, these guarantees are directly implicated.
Article 18 protects privacy and the home, while Article 21 safeguards fundamental freedoms, including freedom of movement. Driving someone from her home or compelling her to live in a camp because of an unsubstantiated accusation undermines these protections.
Most importantly, Article 26(2) expressly prohibits customary practices that dehumanise or are injurious to the physical or mental well-being of a person.
No invocation of tradition, religion or customary authority can legitimise conduct that violates this constitutional prohibition.
Article 33 further empowers persons whose fundamental rights have been infringed to seek redress from the High Court. CHRAJ also has a constitutional and statutory mandate to investigate human rights violations.
These instruments make clear that human rights do not depend on social standing or community approval.
A person does not lose her dignity because her neighbours believe she possesses supernatural powers.
Defenders of witch camps argue that they provide refuge for people rejected by their communities.
This argument mistakes an emergency refuge for a just and sustainable solution.
Some women may indeed find temporary safety in these settlements after escaping violence.
Abruptly closing the camps without securing their safety could expose them to renewed attacks.
Nevertheless, allowing people to remain indefinitely in isolated settlements without adequate services or opportunities for reintegration merely institutionalises their exclusion.
Respect for culture is important, but culture cannot be used to legitimise violence or discrimination.
Ghana's constitutional order requires customary practices to conform to fundamental human rights.
First, Parliament must urgently enact comprehensive legislation criminalising malicious witchcraft accusations that expose people to violence and banishment.
The law should address witch-finding activities and violent exorcisms while providing effective protection for victims.
As of August 2026, the Anti-Witchcraft Accusations Bill was reported to be progressing through the legal process.
Second, law enforcement agencies must investigate and prosecute assaults, unlawful confinement and other offences connected with witchcraft accusations.
Perpetrators must not escape accountability because their conduct is endorsed by religious figures or traditional authorities.
Police protection and safe accommodation should be available to people facing danger.
Third, the Government must implement a rehabilitation and reintegration programme.
This should include safe housing, health care, psychosocial support, livelihood assistance and access to legal services.
Reintegration must be voluntary and guided by the wishes of survivors.
Fourth, nationwide public education must challenge the beliefs and stereotypes that fuel accusations.
Schools, churches, mosques, traditional councils, community radio stations and local authorities should promote critical thinking, respect for older persons and peaceful responses to unexplained illness.
Traditional and religious leaders must become partners in ending persecution rather than legitimising it.
Finally, CHRAJ, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, civil society organisations and local authorities should establish effective monitoring mechanisms.
Victims need accessible complaint channels, legal representation and protection.
The measure of a constitutional democracy is not simply the rights it proclaims, but the protection it affords its most vulnerable citizens.
Ghana cannot credibly champion human rights internationally while elderly women live in fear of being beaten, banished or killed because of unproven supernatural allegations.
The solution is not to ridicule traditional beliefs or humiliate communities.
It is to insist that belief must never become a licence for abuse.
The Constitution protects every person, including those accused of witchcraft.
