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General News of Monday, 27 July 2020

Source: atinkaonline.com

'Even a goat shouldn’t be killed in that manner' – Gender Minister on lynching of 90-yr-old woman

Minister for Gender, Children and social protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison Minister for Gender, Children and social protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison

Minister for Gender, Children and social protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison, has condemned the gruesome lynching of  a 90 year old woman in Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah region.

The  90-year old woman was lynched  on suspicion of witchcraft at Kafaba in the East Gonja Municipality of the Savannah region.

Reacting to the act on Atinka FM’s AM Drive with host Ekourba Gyasi, Cynthia Mamle Morrison expressed resentment in the fact that only poor and vulnerable old women are labeled witches.

Cynthia Mamle Morrison, who described the act as barbaric, said no human being should be made to suffer like the old-woman said.

“When a dog or goat offends someone, it is not killed in this manner, not to talk of a fellow human being. No one has the right to take the life of anyone. This issue is very disheartening and must be condemned in its entirety. Old age and other factors can render old women helpless, making them feel miserable, but that does not make them witches. No one has the right to tag the mother of a rich man as a witch, why can’t same be said of  vulnerable women”, she explained.

Asked whether or not the Gender Ministry is making efforts to engage in public dialogues to eradicate acts such as these, especially in the rural areas, Minister for Gender, Children and social protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison said the Ministry is doing all it can but the mindset of these people is the issue.

The act has been condemned by many, including the running mate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.

Condemning the act in a Facebook post on Saturday 25th July 2020, the former Education Minister described the act as barbaric and called on the  security agencies to swiftly investigate and bring the culprits to justice.

“Old age cannot be synonymous to witchcraft. It is time to build a fair, just and gender sensitive society that respects and values everyone, no matter their age,” She said.