The Human Rights Law Project in Ghana
The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative is an independent, non-partisan international NGO working for the practical realisation of human rights in Africa. The CHRI Africa office is situated in Accra, Ghana, where areas of work include: Right to Information, Police Accountability, Children’s Rights, Women’s Rights, Constitutionalism, and Access to Justice. Volunteers are needed to help with the work of CHRI, and this work also offers an exceptional opportunity to gain unrivalled experience for anyone interested in human rights.
Nana-Oye Lithur is the representative of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) for Africa. She supervises all Projects Abroad volunteers and views them as a vital resource. Nana tries to include interns as much as possible in social and cultural events, for instance by taking them to traditional ceremonies, arranging meals out or entertaining them at her home. She is a passionate and dedicated person and Projects Abroad feel proud to be working with her and grateful to her for the unique opportunities that she offers to our volunteers.
The Role of the Volunteer
Volunteer interns are currently involved in the following areas:
- children’s rights
- prison conditions
- women’s rights
- police accountability
- electoral transparency
Current projects include:
- Raising awareness and mobilising support for poor communities who are at risk of being forced from their homes by corrupt officials who want the land for shops and offices.
- Interviewing tribal leaders about the assaults they have suffered at the hands of extortion gangs. They also raise media awareness of corruption and brutality and bring press and public attention to cases such as when two young journalists were beaten up by gang members in the north of Ghana.
- Travelling to villages in the east of Ghana to raise awareness of child-trafficking which is a problem in this area. Volunteers use methods such as role-plays to discuss this issue with secondary-school children. They are work alongside Ghanaian law students who also translate for them.
- Protesting against the murder of Ghanaian illegal immigrants in Gambia. In 2007 our volunteers mobilised such a big demonstration that the president of Gambia did not attend the African Union Summit in Accra in July.
- Reproductive rights: volunteers have been working to prevent harmful traditional practices such as female circumcision.
- Women’s rights: Our volunteers have brought media attention to the rape of women by Fulani herdsmen who come to the villages in the dry season. Some volunteers are also responsible for starting court cases against these men. They also do workshops in the areas to warn woman about the dangers of walking alone at night and to tell them about their legal rights.
Volunteer interns are given work according to their experience and qualifications. The work is always challenging and may include:
- attending court; monitoring and documenting trial proceedings
- attending workshops and meetings related to human rights issues
- delivering presentations or statements at conferences or seminars representing the position of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative
- conducting independent research on human rights issues
- researching and developing questionnaires, leaflets, reports or briefing papers to support the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative’s activities
- monitoring media output and keeping records of human rights related articles and debates
- writing themed articles for publication in newspapers
- speaking on radio and TV stations either as part of a discussion programme or an individual broadcast item
- travelling to rural areas to raise civil rights awareness, especially children’s and women’s rights
- providing free legal advice
- preparing submissions to Parliament or government departments
Law and Human Rights - GHANA
