A 15-year-old suspected lesbian has been defiled by two men in the Eastern part of Ghana.
The suspects committed the crime in the town of Yilo Krobo after accusing the victim and her friend of practicing lesbianism.
A state prosecutor Owusu Ababio told a circuit court in Koforidua that, the accused persons live in the same house with the victim and her female friend.
Out of suspicion, the accused persons confronted the victim and her friend with allegation that they were practicing lesbianism.
Prosecutors say one night, the accused persons conspired and entered the room of the female friends to solicit for sexual intercourse in exchange for money but they refused.
This got them infuriated and they dragged the victims into the room of one of the suspects to forcibly have sexual intercourse with them. One of the girls managed to escape.
The two suspects forcefully had sexual intercourse with the victim in turns. They also took away her two mobile phones and some belongings.
The victim reported the case to police leading to the arrest of one of the suspects whilst the second is currently on the run.
The suspects have been charged with a conspiracy to commit crime including defilement and escaping from lawful custody.
The development comes in the wake of fears of violating the rights of Ghana’s LGBTQI community as the country’s legislators initiate process to pass an anti- gay law.
The bill is being sponsored by some individual lawmakers who are anti-LGBTQ+ activists.
According to details of the bill, anyone of the same sex that engages in sexual intercourse are “liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than seven hundred and fifty penalty units and not more than five thousand penalty units, or to a term of imprisonment of not less than three years and not more than five years or both.”
This punishment also covers any person who “holds out as a lesbian, a gay, a transgender, a transsexual, a queer, a pansexual, an ally, a non-binary or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female.”
The bill also seeks to punish those it deems promoters and allies of the LGBT+ community with a jail term.
There is also punishment for persons who engage in activities that “promotes, supports sympathy for or a change of public opinion towards an act prohibited under the Bill.”
Such offenders are liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of not less than five years or not more than ten years.
Source: Africafeeds.com
