An exclusive CNN investigation has found that some Western governments who pledged to support LGBTQI+ rights have also funded supporters of a controversial bill in Ghana that could introduce harsh sentences for advocating for sexual and gender minorities' rights.
In the five years up to 2021, at least $5 million in aid from Europe and the US went to projects run by or benefiting churches in Ghana whose leaders have backed this bill and have a long track-record of anti-LGBTQI+ statements and activities, according to CNN's analysis of financial data and communication with the donors.
There is no indication the funding identified went to any explicitly anti-LGBTQI+ activities. However, these religious organizations are now pushing for the anti-LGBTQI+ bill, introduced last year and officially known as the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, to be made law.
In one instance, CNN's analysis revealed that more than $140,000 of UK and US taxpayers' money in 2018-2020 went to the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), an association of 29 churches and Christian organizations, which in 2020 said: "As we indicated in times past, our cultural norms and religious values as a nation do not support LGBTQ rights."
During that same period, the UK became co-chair of the international Equal Rights Coalition to "protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people" and promote "inclusive development" worldwide.
CNN's analysis also found that some other members of the Equal Rights Coalition -- the US, Germany, and Italy -- have funded projects by or for churches in Ghana that have similarly opposed LGBTQI+ rights before, during, and after they benefited from aid money.
Human rights advocates called Western donors' funding practices exposed by CNN "surprising" and "inconsistent."
"It's like stating you're going to go green and then funding the petrol industry," said Neil Datta, executive director of the European Parliamentary Forum on Sexual and Reproductive Rights.
Donor agencies need to be "more aware that sexual and reproductive rights are contested issues", and make sure that "they are not inadvertently funding the organizations who are working against some of their other objectives," he said, calling for stricter "background checks" on potential grantees.
"This reveals inconsistencies in the funding practices of major donors and implicates them as complicit in fostering homophobia and transphobia in Ghana," said Caroline Koussaiman, executive director of the Initiative Sankofa d'Afrique de l'Ouest (ISDAO), an activist-led fund supporting gender diversity and sexual rights in West Africa. "This is the antithesis of "do no harm" principles."
"We need donors to support our struggles for liberation, and not directly or indirectly fund anti-gender movements which we know are extremely well resourced," she added.
Read Full Story ....
HERE >>>
:
Source: CNN
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
CNN HAS NOW BECOME A VERY ***barred word*** TABLOID COMPLETE WITH ***barred word***. THIS COCK AND BULL WAS JUST COOKED UP BY SOME CRAZY HEROIN SMOKING BASTARD.
I don't get it. What is this hypocrisy in Ghana among the religious zealous. I am a Christian and am not, or approve of the practice of homosexuality. I am also agains the practice of incest and minor marriage like the one engaged in by the Speaker of Parliament. I am against bribery and corruption of the Church, the Judiciary, the Legislature, the Executive, and of course all the sycophantic media holier-than-though brigade. I will not take money from them to support anything I do because it is part of who they are. That is what the cnn story is saying. If you say their societies are eveil and that their practices of allowing their citizens to remain out of jail because of their sexual preferences are that evil, cease beggung them and taking money from them. These same LGBTQI+ are the peope who pay taxes to support your greedy livestyles. Get it!
What is this? Who cares. No means no
What is the purpose of this article? We have said it time and again that the culture of Africans frowns upon same sex marriage, why are u guys finding it so difficult to understand? The constitution of America allow as u guys to own a gun. Do we question u guys from owing guns? Why the unnecessary interference? Respect the culture of other people. Keep your millions and leave us alone. Even in the ***barred word*** kingdom there is sanity. This is purely the agenda of the Democratic Party.(promoting evil)
What a sick article purported to cause disaffection towards churches and faith run organisations. Are you advocating that same tax payers monies should be released to only organisations that support LGBTQ rights in Africa. You may as well stop the flow of funds because no organisation is prepared to accept monies for LGBTQ causes. Africans have many important things to deal with. The west stil wants to push the archaic British empire mentality: DIVIDE AND RULE. It failed in independence struggles and it will fail again and again. You have redefined marriage in your societies and you are now debating who is a woman and you want the whole world to follow you. What imperialistic impudence..