Tackling Human Rights in Ghana

We had the honor and pleasure to share a dialog with Acting Commissioner, Anna Bossman, of the Commission on Human Rights to get an overview of the human rights issues faced in Ghana, the challenges to moving forward and the goals that have been met in the past 50 years since the official independence of the country. Given the historic importance of the anniversary of the 50 years of independence, the state of human rights for women, children and other marginalized citizens was highlighted and emphasized during the celebrations. This first week of January was also filled with strategic planning meetings and goal setting to take advantage of the momentum of the past year.

On the whole, Ghana has made some progress on the issue of human rights. The groundwork is being laid for change and attitudes are beginning to shift. Women, children and prisoners are the major focus of the commission, as they tend to be the most vulnerable to human rights abuses. Those suffering from HIV/AIDS are also considered a group, which is increasingly becoming marginalized. And now more than ever in the past people are becoming aware of the issues.

We have been learning about the first President of Ghana, Nkrumah, who is adored and revered as a champion of Ghanaians, the beginnings of the democratic process and unification of Ghanaian citizens. He also saw the power of women and the importance of their role in this society. He gave women a platform in his own government and encouraged education of girls. Over the past 50 years, especially during the recent military regime, women were often seen as a threat, due in some part to their economic power in the market, and they suffered many violations. At the same time, there are some tribal traditions, which are demeaning and harmful to women that are deeply ingrained in the many cultures that make up Ghana. Even at the highest levels of society, in educated and progressive circles, some practices are encouraged and continued: some types of slavery to settle debts, early forced marriage and female genital mutilation are a few.

I was very interested to learn that while the commission is faced with the enormous challenge of identifying and addressing human rights abuses in Ghanaian society and they come up against strong resistance, they are beginning to see results. Women are beginning to come forward to the regional offices with complaints and their mediation tactics have worked. They use a broad based approach. They use education as the vehicle to encourage change, but also attempt to find reasonable alternatives. Given the historical context of some of traditions, it is not possible to simply outlaw them or demand change. Old practices have social, historical and political context and have to be identified, understood and then gradually changed. That is the most important message that I took away from the meeting.