Accra, Aug. 24, GNA – Government has been tasked to facilitate and improve on Ghana’s Human Rights records in six thematic areas.
The six thematic areas are Media Freedom, Safety and Attacks on Journalists, Affirmative Action (Women Political Participation), Abolition of Death Penalty, LGBTQ + rights, Corruption and Code of Conduct for Public Officers, Disability Rights issues.
The call was made by POS Foundation and Africa Centre for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) two Civil Society Organisations which among others dealt with human rights issues during an interaction with the media in Accra.
The interaction centred on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting to be held next year by the United Nations Human Rights Council. During the meeting Ghana’s progress on recommendations on various Human Rights issues will be reviewed by various countries.
Mr Jonathan Osei Owusu, the Executive Director of POS Foundation noted that very soon Ghana Human Rights records would be reviewed and assessed by the United Nations Human Rights Council on these thematic areas.
Mr Owusu noted that implementation and enforcement of laws on these thematic areas has been a challenge.
He said it was long overdue for Ghana to pass the Code of Conduct for Public Officers into law adding when the Bill is passed and implemented it will curb corruption in the country.
Parliament should as a matter of urgency pass the Bill on Code of Conduct by next year to augment the fight against corruption, Mr Owusu said.
On the Affirmation Action Bill recently passed, the Executive Director of POS Foundation noted that it’s implementation and enforcement has been a challenge.
He said it was important for government to pay more attention to issues on the ground affecting women and children.
On the current state of Ghana’s Disability Act he said it lacked the necessary Legislative Instrument to ensure its full implementation.
POS Foundation Executive Director appealed to government to assent to the recently passed Community Service Bill.
“We are all waiting for presidential assent so that we will be able to start with its implementation. Any sentence less than three years or a person punished for misdemeanour quality under the Community Service Bill.
This will also go a long way to decongest our prisons and judges would have the discretion impose community service for offences listed in the Bill,” Mr Owusu noted.
He said CSOs in Ghana would also continue to highlight more on galamsey saying the country was currently losing it’s track record on the environment.
“Our environment is being depleted we need use UPR to get government to put in stringent place measures to fight this environmental canker,” Mr Owusu said.
He noted that issues that affect the environment turned to have effect on people’s health, education, food security among others.
Touching on media freedom, attacks and safety Journalists, he said recent reports on arrests some journalists was worrying.
“Journalists should be able operate without any intimidation. Recently there has been several issues reported in the media over Journalists arrests. These reports are not good for Ghana.”
Mr Richard Nyarko, the Executive Director of ACILA said Ghana needs to do more in the fight against corruption.
Mr Nyarko recalled that the work of Ghana’ s Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) was nearly stagnated recently when operations was challenged at the Supreme Court.
He said it was important that institutions mandated to fight corruption are given the needed support to deliver on its mandate.
Mr Nyarko lauded Ghana for making progress in Affirmative Action and Abolition of the death penalty, access to justice noting that stagnation has however occurred in media freedom and rights and sexual minority nights issues.
He said speeches are being criminalised adding “that has an effect on civic space” because “democracy need civic space to be free.”
GNA
Edited by Christabel Addo
Reporter: Joyce Danso, GNA
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