Accra Nov 4, GNA — Madam Sophia Akuffo, Ghana’s immediate past Chief Justice, has called for the promotion of democratic practice and culture to protect the human rights of Ghanaians.
She said even though democracy was better than tyranny or dictatorship, its full benefits might not be realised in a state “unless fundamental human rights are respected and protected by nations and amongst people.”
Madam Akuffo was delivering a Public Lecture organised by the Central University (CU) at the Christ Temple, ICGC, Accra on the topic, “The Enforcement of Human Rights in Africa.”
Justice Akuffo also observed that,” for these fundamental human rights to work, there should be mechanisms in place for their application and enforcement for the assurance, sustenance, and strengthening of our democracies.”
She said” the protection, promotion and observation of human rights had to be evident in everything we did, and anytime we transacted with each other, we are applying or not applying human rights.”
When we are thinking about what the respect for human rights can do for us in our nation, we have to think of how important human right law is for national development, for peace and stability, she said.” If ensuring democracy and stability is not seen as a human right issue, then we’ve missed the point.”
According to the former Chief Justice, ” if you as an individual survived and I survived and our society did not survive, did we survive? No, we did not; the right to democratic governance is also part of people’s rights.”
The former Chief Justice said, for human rights issues to be promoted in a society, the laws must be tested instead of letting them sit on our books. “We have a lot of provisions in our constitution which are yet to be brought fully into effect for people to feel the difference.”
Justice Akuffo urged Ghanaians to go into positive activism that would help grow Ghanaian laws, saying “we become more familiar and active in promoting our laws and developing them further.”
She said rights were always evolving, and whenever things happened in human societies, there is the need to start thinking about their implications in order to find means of protecting the rights of people who might be involved in such situations.
On the sanctity of human rights, she said, “Nobody gives human rights; you are a human being, therefore, coming into this world, you came with your body of rights. So, when we are talking about African or international human rights, we are talking about standards that are applicable to every human being.”
“And that our rights came from God. At best, human beings and human institutions acknowledge that human rights are preexisting and declare it.” Justice Akuffo said.
The lecture, and earlier ones have been organised as part of efforts by the Central University to bring to the fore important issues for public discussions and decisions.
GNA