Nima Gay Attacker Arrested – Daily Guide Ghana

Suspect Sulley  Fuiseni, a 30 year old leader of a group called Safety Empire , a gang that allegedly brutally assault a man suspected to be a gay in Nima has finally been arrested.

Fuiseni aka Achidundu was apprehended by plain clothes police personnel from the Adabraka police station in collaboration with the Nima Neighbourhood Watch Committee after allegedly pouring hot water on another victim at Nima last Tuesday night at Nima after escaping arrest for the past five weeks.

His arrest has given a sort of relief to some residents of Nima after suffering brutalities and other attacks in the hands of the said terrorist group.

He is now in the custody of the Accra Regional Police Command assisting in investigations.

Nima Gay Attacker Arrested – Daily Guide Ghana

See also::  Ghana arrests reputed leader of violent anti-gay gang

Macauley is the founder of the LGBTI-friendly House of Rainbow, with branches in Nigeria, Ghana and the United Kingdom.

“We need to keep this guy behind bars,” Macauley said. “Send a clear message that discrimination is unlawful and it is my hope that the Human Rights communities would help to support the victims of hate crime.”

He expressed thanks to his colleagues in Ghana for their hard work on the issue. But more needs to be done, he said.

Macauley noted, “Sulley Fuseini still has a page on Facebook used to promote hatred and discrimination against LGBT people. His cover photo carries the name of his notorious evil gang ‘Safety Empire’ with message ‘Faya Burn Chi-chi Batty meaning ‘with fire we shall burn homosexuals.’

“There are also video of threats against gay people. Please help us report these photos and video individually to Facebook by clicking on the appropriate  Report button. Tell Facebook it is harassment and hate speech on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.”

Gay man’s family demand police action over public flogging

The family of a young man who was ruthlessly beaten by a vigilante group in Nima – a suburb of Accra - on suspicion of being gay wants the perpetrators to be swiftly picked up and punished by the Police.

The young man was publicly flogged over the weekend with barbed wire by members of the group calling itself ‘Safety Empire’.

The group is known for being very cruel towards suspected homosexuals in their community.

They have vowed to rid the community of all homosexuals and lesbians.

The victim who suffered serious injuries as a result of the attack has since reported the matter to the Nima Police.

But the family contends the police are not doing much to apprehend the perpetrators of the barbaric act.

Gay man’s family demand police action over public flogging

Train faith healers, herbalists on mental health care | Health News 2014-10-23

I have been watching some of the developments in Africa as a whole in regards to "faith healing" and "exorcisms" and LGBT rights issues. Partly to see what, if any, the connection may be to Scott Lively's anti-gay propaganda but also to follow and better understand religious hocus-pocus that is unique to the continent. This article slipped by me but is important as it highlights the difficulties in battling the absurd.
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The Mental Health Authority (MHA), had been urged to train local pastors, otherwise known as faith healers and herbalists, on mental health care delivery, to enlighten them on how to treat mental patients in their care.

The call came from contestants from the  (KNUST) in the just ended  in Cape Coast.

The debate was on the topic; “Towards Mobilising Political and Social Will to Modernise Mental Health Care Delivery in Ghana: The Way Forward.”

The two contestants noted that from the research they had carried out, especially in the rural areas, most mental patients ended up at churches, healing camps and shrines.

According to them, some of these patients were found to be suffering from serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s syndrome, among others, which should be treated at recognized mental facilities.

Some patients, they said, were chained, while others were quarantined, with others subjected to all forms of inhuman treatment, which went against their fundamental human rights and freedoms.

They contested that mental patients also deserved the right to their freedoms and human dignity, under Chapter Five, Articles 12 (one and two), 14(one d) 16(one) and 17(one, two, and three) of the Constitution, and therefore, the public needed to accord them such respect, no matter the state of their mental illness.

Train faith healers, herbalists on mental health care | Health News 2014-10-23

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Govt Struggles to Reintegrate 'Witches'

Wumbie is one of five women held captive there. She was accused of having caused the death of a woman who was giving birth.

People had called her to assist the woman, 70-year-old Wumbie recounted, sitting in her room, cracking groundnuts with her bare hands. "When I got there, she was struggling ... so I assisted her until the baby came out dead," she told DW's Maxwell Suuk. Everybody had seen it, she said. "So I went home, and they called me later and told me that the woman wasn't feeling well," Wumbie continued. "When they were taking her to hospital, she died."

Wumbie was accused of having had a hand in the woman's death - an accusation she completely denied. Still, she was eventually banished.

She had been a traditional birth attendant in her community and had successfully delivered babies for the past 20 years, she told DW.

She said she had previously helped the woman who passed away deliver six children consecutively without any complications. She cannot understand what made people think she would want to kill anyone.

Back in Yong, Wumbie's village, which is located in the vicinity of Tamale, Wumbie's children have been calling for their mother to be brought home. Azara Sulemana, one of her seven children, is worried. "There's no one preparing her food," she says. "How to even wash her clothes is a problem, because she is too old."

Whenever Azara came home from visiting her mother at the camp, she was so troubled that she would have difficulty sleeping. She thinks their community is not being fair to her mother.

"They threatened to stone her if she comes back," Azara told DW.

allAfrica.com: Ghana: Govt Struggles to Reintegrate 'Witches'

Fighting for the Human Rights of Alleged Witches. | Feature Article 2014-07-31

You may have heard that there are plans by the government of Ghana to close down the witch camps. These camps exist in the Northern region of the country. The move to shut down the camps is a reaction by the government of Ghana to reports of the deplorable situation, exploitation and human rights abuses in the these camps. The government is reportedly embarrassed by these reports and now wants to disband these places of refuge. Recently, the United Stated embassy in Ghana announced that it was funding a research program aimed at closing down these camps.

Now let us think about this. What is actually embarrassing in this case? Is it the belief in witchcraft or these refuge centers? What's the real problem here-is it the witch camps or witch beliefs? What the government of Ghana should be preoccupied with- is it disbanding the witch camps or educating and enlightening the people, helping reorient their minds so that they abandon these superstitious beliefs in magic and sorcery?

Actually the situation in these camps is difficult and many of the alleged witches are suffering terribly.The alleged witches live in huts. They have no access to clothing, water or food. Some of them have their family members visit them occasionally to bring them money and food. Others depend on charity and support from NGOs. Others have resorted to begging for survival. But is that a reason why they should be denied a safe space to be? Is that why they should be forced to go back home where they are likely to be murdered by their accusers?

Fighting for the Human Rights of Alleged Witches. | Feature Article 2014-07-31

Nine year-old suffers burns in Alleged Exorcism Attempt | VibeGhana.com

A pastor and his assistant who used heated stones to burn the body of a nine-year-old boy at Mankessim in the Central Region under the pretext of exorcising a demonic spirit out of him have been sentenced to a 15-year jail term each with hard labour.

The pastor, Kojo Affram, alias Osofo Kojo Abraham, 41, and his assistant, Yaw Nkansa, 28, both of the Holy Church of Ghana, pleaded guilty with explanation.

Prior to the sentencing, they had pleaded with the court to have mercy on them.

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The prosecutor, Inspector Christiana Sampong, said the victim’s father, Stephen Nyame, lived in the same vicinity as the convicts at Mankessim.

About three months ago, the victim left home unceremoniously and could not be found for two days.

She said knowing Osofo Abraham as a friend and prophet of God, Mr Nyame approached him and asked for prayers for the return of his son.

Fortunately for Mr Nyame, his son returned home that very day when Osofo Abraham happened to be visiting his friend.

She said Osofo Abraham ordered Mr Nyame to send the boy to his (Osofo Abraham’s) prayer camp for spiritual deliverance because he believed the victim was possessed by a demonic spirit.

Out of fear of losing his son, the prosecutor said, Mr Nyame sent his son to Osofo Abraham to cleanse him of the demonic spirit.

Nine year-old suffers burns in Alleged Exorcism Attempt | VibeGhana.com