The Deputy Attorney General, Alfred Tuah-Yeboah, has raised concerns about potential discrimination within Ghanaian culture and emphasized the need for a comprehensive review.
He cited several instances indicating that discrimination against women is eminent in some parts of Ghanaian practices, arguing that much attention is needed in that area.
He made this known when he was speaking at the commemoration of International Human Rights Day 2023, organized by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice under the theme, “The 75th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Implications for Human Rights Protection in Ghana,” on December 11, 2023.
He said, “Issues about culture and human rights. If you go to our communities, those of us from areas where we have chiefs and our queen mothers. If you look at Article 277 of our constitution, the definition of a chief includes queen mothers. When it comes to the adjudication of cases in our various communities, the judicial committee of the judicial council, the regional house councils, and the national house of chiefs, queen mothers are not permitted to sit as panel members of these committees. Question: does this not amount to discrimination? Can this practice withstand the principle of continuity under Article 172 of our constitution? A key question that we must resolve.”
He also raised concerns about the entity responsible for measuring the effectiveness of the articles, highlighting the potential for these measures to impede individuals from fully exercising their human rights.
“When it comes to human rights, there is a barometer under our constitution that we use in assessing it. You can say you want to enjoy every right, but there is this stopper. Article 12, clause 2 of our constitution: every right you enjoy is subject to the kind of provisions there. What is the meaning of this clause? What is the provision and who measures it? I think it is time we review to know whether it is not a stumbling block to the enjoyment of our human rights.”