The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has announced that government will on December 15, 2014 close down the Bonyase witch camp in the Northern Region.
The Bonyase witch camp is one of the six witches’ camps in the region.
The closure forms part of moves by government to close down all witch camps across the country after reports of human rights abuses.
[contextly_sidebar id=”ve9Mp8vvSYl4yiBZWDcSBgaHFemfiyLV”]Apart from the Bonyase camp, records showed that about 600 alleged witches and 500 of their dependants were camped at six isolated settlements in the Northern Region,with the Gambaga alleged witches camp being the oldest.
Two of these camps are located in the Gushiegu District.
Speaking to Citi News, the Sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur lauded the decision to close down the Bonyase camp.
“This is very historical for Ghana and we are very happy that with the maximum cooperation of the communities, the traditional leadership, the government we have been to close up of one camp. We have through LESDEP and government of Ghana’s social protection programme, supporting the reintegrated women who have been accused of being witches,” she said.
“LESDEP will also so be carrying out some programmes to ensure that we are able to support these women when they go back to their communities in order to have a source of livelihood,” she added.
Apart from government, private institutions have been stepping up efforts to reintegrate witches into the society and ensure the closure of various witches camps across the country.
Two human rights advocacy Non Governmental Organizations, Songtaba and Action Aid Ghana have been devising strategies to disband and reintegrate all inmates of witches camps scattered in the Northern Region.
So far, they have succeeded in reintegrating 86 ostracized women camped at isolated settlements and labeled as witches.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana