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Government asked to
improve on Human Rights
08 May
2008- Ghana- Human Rights Non-Governmental Organisations in Ghana
have expressed concern about human rights abuses in the country saying
that even though the country is not doing badly, more needs to be done.
They contended that though there are no statistics to support their
claims, more could be done in areas such as Access to Justice, Police
Brutality, Passage of the Right to Information Bill and respect of the
Basic Fundamental Human Rights to boost the country's image on the
international scene.
The programme, organised by Commonwealth Human
Rights Initiative (CHRI - Africa) in collaboration with Civil Society
Organisations, was to review the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on
Human Rights submitted to the United Nations. The review mechanism set
up by the Human Rights Council (HRC) of the United Nations aims at
improving the human rights situation in all UN member states.
The African Regional Coordinator of CHRI
Africa, Nana Oye Lithur, said the programme was organised to address
issues raised in Ghana's reports which were submitted to the HRC on May
5, 2008. In a critique of the report, she said it failed to include
among other things the African Peer Review Mechanism report on Ghana
between 2004 and 2007 which provids a wealth of information and issues
relating to women, especially pregnant women in prisons, and called for
alternative solutions such as community work, suspended sentences,
probation and fines.
Nana Oye said CHRI has identified six national
priorities with regard to human rights and had also submitted a
supplementary report with a focus on the Ghana Police Service and forced
evictions. The priority areas identified are the adaptation of a
National Evictions Policy, the need to rehabilitate police cells,
strengthen judiciary structures, expansion of legal aid to the rural
sector, the need for an effective implementation of human rights
standards by the police service and an increase in civic education on
human rights standards.
Michael A. Brigandi of Amnesty International
reported on the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) and urged the
Government to take action to ensure the full implementation of the
recommendations by the NRC.
Ms Agnes Kabajuni, Representative of the Centre
for Housing Rights and Evictions, noted that poor people in the urban
areas are vulnerable to housing violations and that lack of affordable
options to own property forced many Ghanaians into the rental market and
informal settlements. She said government has made affordable and
accessible housing a priority but this has been ineffective due to
flawed policies, implementation and monitoring mechanisms. She called on
government to limit factors which perpetuates gender inequalities and
barriers to women in the Ghanaian rental market.
The Programme Manager for Women in Law and
Development (WiLDAF), Frank Wilson Bodza, noted that the government
admitted in the report that it has not done enough to increase women's
participation in decision-making and recommended implementation of the
affirmative action law. He also urged political parties to agree to
implement a quota system as a means of having more women in politics.
Mac-Darling Cobbinah,
Executive Director of International Gay and Lesbians Association, said
it is unfortunate that they have been marginalised and called on school
authorities to counsel students who engage in homosexuality and
lesbianism instead of dismissing them from school. He condemned the
criminalisation of their activity in the report and said that they would
be printing materials to educate the public in accepting gays and
lesbians as they are.
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