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03.03.2010 General News

Learn to respect other people's rights

03.03.2010 LISTEN
By GNA

Tema, March 3, GNA - Ms Mercy Mensah-Addo, Tema Sub-Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has underscored the need for Ghanaians to respect the rights of one another.

She reminded the citizenry that much as they expected others to respect their rights, they must in turn respect other people's rights, especially the right to clean environment, the right to peace, and the right to enjoy social amenities.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tema, Ms Mensah-Addo advised residents in the Metropolis to insist on their human rights, be they economic, social or political rights.

She also urged residents not to take the law into their own hands, since their actions or inactions could lead to the arrest and imprisonment of innocent people.

On criminal matters, the Tema Sub-Regional Director advised Ghanaians to learn to use the Police to settle matters of criminal nature, instead of resorting to violence, since that could lead to the loss of life and property.

Ms Mensah-Addo pledged that her outfit would not only educate residents in the Metropolis on their fundamental human rights and freedoms, but would also endeavour to promote, protect and enforce those rights and liberties "in line with our mission statement which stipulates that the Commission exists to enhance the scale of good governance, democracy, integrity, peace and social development."

On the challenges facing the Commission in the Metropolis, its Sub-Regional Director intimated that just like most institutions, "our greatest challenge has been the lack of resources."

"We want to reach far more people with our public educational programmes, but we are constrained because we do not have sufficient funds to do that."

Ms Mensah-Addo also mentioned the lack of transport as another major constraint, "because the vehicle we have is old and breaks down frequently."

She said the recalcitrant nature of some respondents who simply refused to honour the Commission's invitations, was also a challenge.

"Even though as a human rights institution, we have the power to subpoena respondents, we seldom use it because we want people to understand our work, and therefore, call respondents to educate them to come on their own rather than be forced to," the Sub-Regional Director of CHRAJ pointed out.

GNA

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