CHRI embark on schools human rights awareness education

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative has initiated schools human rights education forum on the rights of arrested persons in Ghana .

 
According to the Project Officer, Mina Mensah, CHRI, the purpose of the schools human rights forum is to educate the youth, who are mostly the source of information for their peers and parents, to know their rights and responsibilities under the law.

 
She pointed out that the schools human rights forum is aimed at creating awareness on the rights of arrested persons and building the capacity of participants with the hope that the knowledge acquired on arrest, detention, interrogation, legal aid and bail will be transferred to their communities. Information on the above topic has become increasingly important in this current era where democratic policing and respect for human rights is a key pillar for democratic policing.

 
During the question and answers session, students were dissuaded about some of the impression they have about certain activities of the police.

 
The maiden schools human rights forum which was sponsored by the Australian High Commission started last Friday at the Accra Academy Senior High School with Ebenezer Senior High School in attendance. Other schools that are expected to benefit from this program are Wesley Grammar, NUNSEC and Krobo Girls. Some schools in the Asante , Brong Ahafo and Central regions are also to benefit from this program.

 
Some of the participants The Statesman interviewed expressed their appreciation to CHRI for the valuable information. According to David Nunyo, a form 3 Science student at Accra Academy , he has benefited a lot from the program. He said “I never knew the police code of ethics forbade them from taking gifts”. He appealed to CHRI to expand the program to include the youth who do not have the opportunity to attend school.

 
CHRI, Africa Office completed a project on police accountability in Ghana in 2007.   The main objective of the project was to increase advocacy on police accountability and promote the acceptance of the centrality of human rights to policing in Ghana .

The project revealed that one key gap to police accountability in Ghana is the public's lack of awareness and knowledge of their rights. To address the situation, CHRI produced educational materials on the rights of arrested persons and disseminated them to key stakeholders in Ghana .

 
As a follow-up, CHRI has reprinted these materials to aid in human rights education in Ghana.