Law and Human Rights - GHANA
Project Information for Law & Human Rights in Ghana

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 countries of the Commonwealth. The CHRI Africa office is situated in Accra, Ghana where areas if work include: Right to Information, Police Accountability, Constitutionalism, and Access to Justice. Volunteers are needed to help with the work of CHRI, and the placements offer an exceptional opportunity to gain unrivalled experience for anyone interested in human rights in Africa.

Nana-Oye Lithur is the CHRI representative for Africa. She supervises all Projects Abroad volunteers and views them as a "vital resource for the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative". Nana tries to include interns as much as possible in social and cultural events, for instance by taking them to funeral ceremonies, arranging meals out or entertaining them at her home. She is a wonderfully passionate and dedicated person and we 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

Interns are involved in the following areas:

children's rights
prison conditions
women's rights
police accountability and brutality
electoral transparency

Projects Abroad volunteers have recently been involved in the following projects:

Raising awareness and mobilising support for homeowners who are at risk of being forced from their homes by corrupt officials who want the land to build shops and offices on.
Interviewing tribal leaders about the assaults they have suffered at the hand of police who have been "hired" by Ga tribal groups. They also raise media awareness of this police corruption and brutality. The CHRI strive for justice through taking corrupt police officers to court and bringing attention to any brutal incidents such as the two young journalists who were beaten up by the police in the north of Ghana.
Travel 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 often accompanied by Ghanaian law students who can translate.
Protest 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.

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 CHRI
conducting independent research
researching and developing questionnaires, leaflets, reports or briefing papers to support CHRI'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 stations either as part of a discussion programme or an individual broadcast item
travelling to rural areas to raise civil rights awareness
providing free legal advice
preparing submissions to parliament or government departments

Lawyers generally leave for court at around 08:30 so interns are expected to arrive around 08:00. Lunchtimes are flexible and a one hour break in the middle of the day is acceptable. Interns are expected to stay until 17:00 unless there is reason to stay later. Please note that the courts are closed during July, August and September.

Interns work in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere but are expected to dress smartly. Men should wear a suit and women conservative skirts/trousers with a jacket. Smart shoes are required and should be kept polished! A black suit must be worn for court visits. It is useful to bring a laptop and adapter, USB stick, flash drive, jump drive or thumb drive.