The Central Regional Officer of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has recorded an increase in Human rights cases.
In 2019, about 667 of human rights abuses were recorded compared with 660 recorded in 2018.
Among the list of human rights infractions reported, child rights-related cases topped the chart with 334 cases.
Speaking to Citi News, the Central Regional Director of CHRAJ, Theophilus Tetteh Tuwor said the Commission will intensify education in the region to manage the situation.
“Majority of the cases we received has to do with children and they have to do with mainly non-maintenance, parents not taking care of their kids, rights to education; maybe school fees, buying of textbooks– and that also creates a lot of problems. There is also the issue of having access to children especially where there is separation or divorce. So about 334 have to do with children and we also have issues about women rights as well.”
Speaking on the way forward, he reiterated that the commission would intensify its education in efforts to reduce human rights abuses and get more cases reported.
“We went to schools, we went to communities, we went to the religious groups, we used the radio too to educate the people about their rights and that may have shot up the number of cases received. So, this year too, we will still intensify our education in all our mandate and we hope that by our education, either the number will increase to show that people are willing to report now or the numbers will fall to show that now people are aware that when you undermine somebody’s rights you will be reported.”
CHRAJ gets new deputy boss
President Nana Akufo-Addo on January 14, 2020, appointed Mercy Larbi to fill the vacant Deputy Commissioner position at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
Madam Mercy Larbi until recently was the Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission.
She is a lawyer and a member of the Ghana Bar Association.
At a short ceremony at the Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo urged the new Deputy Commissioner to assist and collaborate with other Commissioners to fight corruption in the country.
CHRAJ exists to protect fundamental human rights and to ensure good governance for every person in Ghana.