The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), a vibrant Ghanaian media advocacy group has called on the government to holistically address issues of human rights violations in the country and put up measures to stabilize the falling economy.
This came to light in commemoration of the 2022 Human Rights Day.
According to HRRG, when one right is not respected, it affects others. For instance, a violation of the right to adequate housing triggers the violation of other rights. In Ghana, due to the economic crisis in the country, many individuals are not able to further their education due to increased tuition fees.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Joseph Wemakor and copied to the press, the Human Rights Reporters Ghana stated:
“That is when one right is not respected, it affects others. For instance, a violation of the right to adequate housing triggers the violation of the rights to rest, education, work, and so on. These are economic, social, and cultural rights that we uphold and hold dear to our hearts…due to the economic crisis in the country. Many individuals are not able to further their education due to the increased tuition fees, denying them the right to education.”
Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Joseph Wemakor asserts that the Ghanaian police service lacks human rights education, a situation significantly contributing to the incessant police brutality which eventually amounts to wanton violations of people’s freedom and fundamental human rights which is indeed worrying.
Mr. Wemakor contends that unless the police administration put its right foot forward to ensure their men in uniform are properly schooled on human rights in order to be armed to the teeth with the information, knowledge and skills required to work with, Ghanaians would continue to bear the brunt of the relentless brutalities and unprofessional conduct by some unscrupulous police officers against members of the public which put lives at risk.
In an interview with Victoria Beeko Danso, host of HB Pulse on Homebase TV, during the wee hours of yester when he appeared on the show to discuss on the topic: “Police Brutality” on Wednesday, October 5, 2022, the staunch human rights activist enlightened the public on the shortcomings of the Ghanaian police while citing a typical case of police brutality which his attention was recently drawn to, to buttress his point.
In the case which smacks of an assault perpetrated against two unarmed civilians as a result of unprofessional conduct exhibited by some police officers due to unwarranted arrest and detention without any official charges for wrongdoing.
One of the victim, 23-year-old, Richmond Amedey who assists his father with sales in his drinking bar near his residence located at Dawhenya-Abbey near Prampram in the Greater Accra Region was allegedly picked up on the eve of Friday September 23, 2022 together with two other young men under a mysterious circumstance by the Devtracco Estate police patrol team.
According to the HRRG’s sources, the police officers numbering seven (7) who are members of the patrol team in the company of ACP Foli, their commander barged into the drinking spot on that fateful night at exactly 8:00pm where Richmond was on duty and without any formal introduction, interrupted the ongoing activities and commenced a search on anything they laid their hands on including opening bottles containing liquors meant for sale in a manner which demonstrates sheer unprofessionalism.
Some of these officers were alleged to have covered their faces with black masks in a bid to conceal their real identities which is uncalled-for.
They were not bothered to even ask of the whereabouts of the parents of the young bartender when thy barged into the spot, let’s alone keep them informed about their mission but went straight ahead to carry out their nefarious operation with show of bravado.
It was not clear what they might be looking out for which prompted the visitation and the quest for the unwarranted search. From the look in their faces, one could see that these men in uniform were on a target to hunt down someone upon a tipoff.
Unfortunately their search was conducted without a proof of a search warrant or any form of identification to indicate their intention.
Despite their eager search, it emerged that they could not find what they were actually looking for so they became frustrated, dejected and worried in the end.
They have therefore decided to make away with a jackpot machine (Chinese game) owned and operated by the drinking spot.
This, however did not go down well with Richmond therefore he protested to ask the officers the reason for action without any prior information.
It appears the action of the young man might have provoked the officers to unjustly pick him up and have him dragged into their waiting patrol vehicle where he was whisked away to the Devtracco Estate Police Station in company of two others who were picked along the road.
When he asked what his offence was, he was simply told to come and defend the jackpot machine upon visit to the station.
But upon reaching the police station, he was put straight behind bars together with one of his accomplice without even asked to defend the machine contrary to the assertion of the police prior to his arrest.
Fortunately, one of them (third person) was released instantly upon reaching the police station through the demands of an unknown phone caller on the pretext that he had developed a mental problem.
It wasn’t clear who that unknown caller might be and why he gave such an order for the immediate release of the boy which the police Commander complied with without any hesitation.
The long and short of it all was that Richmond Amedey and his colleague spent 3 nights unjustly and unlawfully behind bars for no official charges of wrongdoing levelled against them despite efforts by the Human Rights Reporters Ghana boss and his lawyer to get them released.
Mr. Wemakor observed that he got infuriated at the conduct of the police officers when the case was reported to him via a distress call during the wee hours of Saturday September 24, 2022.
He sought to intervene for the immediate release of the victims and requested for the contact details of the Devtracco Estate Police Commander, ACP Foli which he gladly received from the victim’s father, Godwin Amedey.
But his good efforts were thwarted by the police commander ACP Foli who ignored all his numerous phone calls.
“Upon receiving a distress call pertaining to this unfortunate incident, I did not hesitate to request for the contact number of Commander ACP Foli to intervene for the immediate release of the victims at all”.
“My calls went unanswered for three (3) consecutive times when I first placed a call to him upon receiving his contact. I later sent him a text message introducing myself and my intention of contacting with the hope that he might return my call but to no avail.
“I waited anxiously to hear from him but still no sign of his call therefore I initiated another call and then I was fortunate to hear him answer me.
I quickly introduced myself to him again and reminded him of my intention, but guess what instead of going ahead to confirm to me whether his men have truly arrested and detained the young men the night before when I demanded to know from him.
According to Mr Wemakor, ACP Foli rather chose to ask him a question: “Are you interviewing me or asking me a question?”.
He wondered why a whole police commander would behave in such an unprofessional manner of asking his boys to go and unlawfully arrest and detain unarmed civilians for three (3) good nights without any charges of crime levelled against them.
The two (2) victims were later freed on Monday September 26, 2022 afternoon after unjustly spending 3 nights in the police custody but the controversies surrounding the entire case still persists with its challenges for the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) to explore and unravel to name and shame these officers who misconducted themselves.
Unfortunately, Richmond Amedey (victim) could not tell his story when contacted on phone during the show due to technical challenges.
One question that remains in mind is that what could be the reason for the needles action taken by the Devtracco Estate police patrol team to arrest innocent civilians when it is clear that they have not committed any crime?.
Another question is why was 3 people (suspect) picked up and one person got released that same night at the police station while the other 2 were meant to spend 3 nights behind bars unjustly?
Surely, this show will uncover all the mysteries surrounding this saga and offer you more insights into the police brutality phenomenon in Ghana.
Don’t miss the next week edition of the HB Pulse on Homebase TV with your host, the talented and elegant Victoria Beeko Danso.
Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana-NGO (HRRG) Joseph Wemakor, is among the first cohort of selected leaders of civil society organizations (CSOs) across West Africa invited to participate in the Digital Clinic for Civic Actors by the Spaces for Change (S4C), a non-governmental organization, situated in Lagos in collaboration with Interactive Initiative for Social Impact (Dataphyte).
The training aims to equip civic actors with practical skills to safeguard and mitigate risks in the digital world
The goal is to help journalists and civil society protect their information, data, devices and communications against digital security risks.
This forms part of an initiative of the Civic Space Resource Hub for Civil Society Organizations project in West Africa (CSR-Hub) which seeks to offer capacity building and technical support to CSOs across four strategic pillars such as: Civic Space Protection, Governance and Regulatory Compliance, Digital Security and Protection and Resource Mobilization and Financial Resilience
Mr Wemakor was selected out of over 60 applicants in West Africa by the project team of assessors who found him duly qualified for a spot in the training program.
The staunch human rights activist, among other cohorts expected to join the Clinic from Senegal, Sierra Leone and Nigeria will be well schooled on whistleblowing policies and practices, digital rights and its impact on the work of the media, CSO’s and human rights defenders and how to hold power accountable in a digital world etc.
The cohorts are expected to benefit from a 12-month fully funded training, workshops, coaching, technical support and financial resilience building across the pillars under the project.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) has welcomed the news about the rescue of a 7-year-old girl who was brutally assaulted, tortured, and abused by her father, with great joy after its report on the barbaric and inhumane treatment meted out to the young girl yielded a positive result, pushes the authorities to respond leading to her rescue from the grips of her tyrannizing family.
7-year-old Mary Asana’s (not her real name) photograph and video footage broke the internet on Tuesday July 19 2022, and got many hearts torn after a publication by the Human Rights Reporters Ghana went viral.
In the image which triggered shock and horror, Mary can be seen in ropes firmly tied up on both hands and feet lying helplessly on the floor in a sorrowful state.
The caption accompanying the photograph: “Tied like a lamb to the slaughter”, aroused huge public outcry with the publication receiving the widest publicity on several social media platforms the moment the news surfaced.
Mary was accused of shoplifting a ‘common biscuit’ from a neighbor’s shop, the act which infuriated her father to the extent that he almost ended up crucifying her in a bid to instill discipline in her.
According to the victim’s father, Mary just can’t stop stealing petty items like food and money as persons with the condition of kleptomania are often accused of.
Mary is currently free from oppression.
This was made possible through the intervention of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly’s Department of Social Welfare and Community Development with the support of the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection (MOGCSP) which led to her rescue.
Mr. Godfred Abogo, the Unit Head for the Department of Social Welfare at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly who led the rescue operation team shared two (2) photographs of the child with the Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana, Mr. Joseph Wemakor, indicating that she is now freed and in safe hands within the Department’s custody.
According to Mr. Abogo, the initial findings of his outfit pointed to the child exhibiting a pilfering condition akin to kleptomania which prompted her parents to unacceptably restrict her movement resulting in her being assaulted and further bound her up with ropes.
His disclosure corroborates the findings of the Human Rights Reporters Ghana highlighted in its preliminary report on the saga.
He added that investigations into the matter are still currently ongoing to unravel more on the disturbing issue while arrangements are being made to pave way for the reunification of the child with her biological mother.
Meanwhile, he also indicated that the child’s father and stepmother are currently cooperating with his outfit to amicably resolve the issue.
“The parents of the victim did not resist an attempt to free the child, in fact, they were remorseful and voluntarily agreed to the rescue”.
“They have signed a bond of good behavior and to produce the biological mother of the child within the shortest possible time.”
Mr. Abogo also averred that his outfit is solely responsible for footing all the bills of costs incurred for the upkeep of the child while in custody.
This, according to him, is being funded through the Integrated Social Services Delivery System (ISS) of the KMA Department of Social Welfare.
When asked about the roles of the police service in assisting the Social Welfare Department during the rescue operation, he said that “The police were reluctant and besides they didn’t have a DOVVSU office at Ampabame, hence we did it alone”.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana after breaking the troubling news on that fateful ‘black Tuesday’, July 19, 2022, did not just sit back and rest on its laurels but quickly proceeded to reach out to the Gender Ministry for help through its HELPLINE OF HOPE call Centre and then gotten a response after which it was redirected to the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly Social Welfare Department in the Ashanti Region. The outcome of which witnessed the swift intervention and subsequently led to the rescue of the child.
The HRRG congratulates the KMA Department of Social Welfare in the Ashanti Region for taking this giant step to rescue the 7-year-old girl and also urges it to endeavor to fast-track the investigations appropriately and ensure the perpetrator of this heinous crime is severely punished as well as help facilitate the reunification of the child with her biological mother as early as possible to safeguard her welfare and growth.
Imagine being crucified by your own parents in a manner which smacks of evil beyond your wildest imagination all in the name of instilling discipline in you.
What a price to pay for wrongdoing? And how will you feel?
A million dollar questions that would race through any sound mind after a careful look at the ignoble photograph (s) accompanying this publication.
This is a harrowing tale of a young girl whose fate hangs precariously in the balance as her woes deepens without getting justice.
It is hard to believe such a young innocent girl who could not even hurt a fly should be subjected to a barbaric act of high magnitude of torture and pain in this 21st century where respect for human rights is gradually gaining prominence.
I got a distress phone call from a young lady last Sunday afternoon who only introduced herself as Ms. Adepa. It was just after I had successfully wrapped up on a Television program which discussed how to address issues of human rights violations in Ghana which I was privileged to be invited as a guest to share my views and educate the public.
I could hear sadness in her voice from the other side of the telephone as she broke the unfortunate news to me about this young girl whose name is unknown to her.
Her phone line was not too clear at that moment therefore I could hardly hear her out when she spoke. She gave a very brief narration.
All that I’ve managed to pick up from her conversation in a minute was: “Ok, I’ll try and share a photograph of a victim with you so you can follow up with the issue and help seek justice for her.
She concluded with a question: “does your mobile phone support whatsapp application”? I replied yes, and her line dropped.
It dawned on me that another issue of human rights abuse is being reported again as it is always with strange calls I usually receive through my mobile phone on a daily basis.
I later turned my data on and quickly navigated to whatsapp to check up on my received messages, all of sudden to my surprise two photographs of horror flashed in my face.
I became extremely dumbfounded, worried and sorrowful for the plight of a young innocent girl whose hands and legs were tied up together in ropes like an animal to a slaughter house. What a pity, I exclaimed and wondered what could have been her problem looking at her situation after all.
So many questions raced through my mind for a seconds which I could not find an answer to so I was compelled to dig by placing a phone call back to the distress caller where I inundated her with questions to satisfy my curiosity.
The response I received afterwards was not convincing at all. It baffles me to realize that her woes were engineered by her own parents or guardians.
How could her own relatives descend so low to such a tangent of subjecting her to an unwarranted and dehumanizing treatment or punishment all in the name of instilling discipline in her? Oh! maen, I can’t think far.
Children are supposed to be the greatest treasure of their parents/guardians on earth who deserve to be treated with utmost care and attention. But what do we see happening these days in the world?.
Unfortunately, the rights of our children are violated every blessed day while the perpetrators are left unpunished as a result of failure on part of the sanctioning authorities to act and bring them to book.
It is obvious, the canker of child labour, child marriage, teenage pregnancy, child trafficking, sale of a child, child prostitution, child pornography and abduction to mention a few are crimes that are on rise being perpetrated against children by adults who are supposed to protect them.
In the case of this unfortunate kid, what actually was her crime to be treated in such a barbaric, atrocious and dehumanizing manner? Is this child not a human being like any other child who deserves to be treated with dignity? Where lies her basic rights and freedoms as a child? What kind of parents does she have? Hmmm.
Surprisingly, in one of the photos which I’ve received from this benefactress, two men could be seen, one sitting down on a wooden bench while the other squatting deeply engrossed in conversation with each other, looking unconcerned while the child suffers in pain as the ropes she was tied with tightens up firmer.
What an abomination? Indeed, this is unacceptable and very bad of parents who are supposed to be caretakers of their children and not villains who maltreat their children in the name of wrongdoing.
Madam Adepa in a chat with me revealed she was really touched by the plight of the child the moment her eyes caught hold of her lying down in such a sorrowful and degrading state which triggered shock and horror in her sight.
She revealed witnessing this horrendous incident at a vicinity in Sokoban, a town in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana while on her way to visit a friend who lived nearby.
Her immediate reaction was to take some shots of her then quickly turn to google search for a contact of a human rights activist who could intervene to help save the life of the little child from her tormentors after her efforts to rescue her proved abortive.
Adepa further disclosed she received the threat of her life from a woman who appears to be either the mother or caretaker of the victim at the scene when she attempted to rescue the child.
“The woman almost slapped me. I never thought people could be so heartless treating human beings like animals in this 21st century”, she laments.
She pointed out to an elderly man who appeared in one of the images sitting on a bench (in white shirt and cap) as the father of the victim, while referring to the man squatting next to him as a ‘rescuer’ who was trying to negotiate for the release of the youngster who was reeling under the abhorrent and excruciating pain of torture at the time but to no avail.
Ultimately, Adepa wondered if subjecting a child to torture, or to cruel or inhuman treatment or punishment is the best form of discipline parents could instil in their children who committed an act of wrongdoing which indicated to me goes contrary to the law.
The gravity of this beastly act cannot be overemphasized as the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights unequivocally stated in its Article 5 that, ‘No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.’
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Children’s Act 560 1998 and the Child’s Act 1989 which protect children from violence and exploitation strongly equally abhorred barbaric treatment of children as well.
The parents of this young girl who subjected her to torture, inhuman and degrading treatment must be dealt with according to law and we at the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) will push for this to happen.
This would serve as a deterrent to other parents, guardians and caretakers who violate the rights of their children to quit.
This is a typical example of gross child rights abuse where the victim’s right to life and liberty is flagrantly violated by her parents. An act which ought to be condemned by all and sundry in no uncertain terms; anyhow, anywhere and anytime.
Indeed, another war for the Ghanaian vibrant human rights advocacy group with a global reach wholly committed to ensuring that human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled to fight.
These and many more we take care of on a daily basis at the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) to ensure wrongdoing is punished and justice is served to the victims of human rights violations to ensure rights are respected and peace prevails.
Our only prayer is that the authorities would move swiftly into action and ensure the perpetrators are apprehended and dealt with according to law so that justice is served this innocent child who deserves nothing but a life of dignity in the absence of torture or any dehumanizing treatment.
Executive Director of the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), Joseph Kobla Wemakor has called on the government and other stakeholders to come on deck to end human torture.
Mr. Wemakor says even though his outfit is campaigning against the menace in the country, the heightened nature of the canker requires the combined effort of all to reduce it to the barest minimum or eradicate it completely.
He was speaking on his group’s call on government to ensure justice for the victims of Annor Adjaye Senior High School brutality to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the coming into effect of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
“All of us must be committed to ensure that the canker of torture and inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment is brought down to the barest minimum and if possible, eradicate it out of the system completely,” he told Daakyehemaa Adwoa Asantewaa on Onua News Monday, June 27, 2022.
He bemoaned the rate at which torture has been heightened in the country without any punishment for perpetrators of it.
“Torture is heightened because we’ve seen this demonstrated in various abuses that people have suffered in the country. If you’re talking about the press freedom being attacked, police brutality, children being tortured by their own foster parents, now teachers abusing and canning students severely to the extent that they’re leaving bodily marks on them, simply because they have been late for a Sunday morning church service. I mean these are all things that we spoke against and yet nothing is being done. This is what we can say as critical examples of torture in its critical stage in this country,” he lamented.
He has therefore called on all stakeholders to contribute to the education on the inhumane treatments to salvage the situation.
“Education on human rights must go on in schools, churches, youth centres, in public places which of course the HRRG is doing but we cannot do it alone. We need the support of government, public institutions and even sanctioning institutions and also the laws must work. There is a lot that we can all do. It’s a shared responsibility. It does not behold on one person,” he encouraged.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) in commemoration of this year’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture has joined forces with the Action By Christians Against Torture (ACAT) to show support and sympathy to all victims of various crimes of torture across the world, especially in Africa and Ghana for that matter.
They are calling on the Ghana government and state institutions to be swift in apprehending perpetrators of torture on any citizen or persons residing in the country irrespective of their religion, race, ethnic group, etc.
On Sunday 8th May 2022, The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) broke the news about the unwarranted abuse and merciless caning of students by some seven (7) teachers of the Annor Adjaye SHS.
The entire nation reacted to the maltreatment as uncalled-for. New development and information available to the HRRG is that the visit by officers of the Western Regional Education office two days after the report is yielding positive results.
The Western Regional Education Director, Felicia Okai, has disclosed that teachers who inflicted cane wounds on students of Annor Adjaye Senior High School would be punished.
This piece of news has been welcomed by the Chief Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana, Mr. Joseph Wemakor. In an interview with The Ghana Education News, he indicated that, when the HRRG received the news of the abuse via a distress chat message, it was alarmed, and after confirming the story the organization took the necessary steps to put it out in the public domain for the needed action to be taken by those in authority.
“I am elated that our sacrifices towards ensuring a society where no one violates the rights of another and children are not abused is yielding results. We shall continue to follow the story to its conclusion however, we call on the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure that they make their final decision on the teachers found culpable in the Annor Adjaye SHS student abuse is made public. This will build trust and keep stakeholders informed” Mr. Wemakor added.
From the onset, some of the teachers who were involved in the barbaric act called the publication of the HRRG a bluff, however, the story soon found it way to top TV stations in the country (Onua TV, Angel TV) including Radio Stations (Angel FM, Boss FM, and others) before spreading across other affiliate stations of these media houses and every effort by the HRRG to ensure the story gets to the GES and the Ghana police service has yielded positive result and feedback.
There was an attempt to silence students and compel them to write an apology letter to the teachers however, the HRRG did not see the necessity of this and believed such a move will mess up the issue and make the students look guilty, the leadership of the HRRG advised that no such letter should be written not as a sign of disrespect but to preserve the sanctity of the substantive matters that need to be addressed.
The Western Regional Education Director while commenting on the videos and pictures that accompanied the HRRG publication said the educators had no right to beat the students mercilessly in the name of instilling discipline in them.
The Ghana Education Service (GES) in 2017 banned the use of canes and all forms of corporal punishment in schools to present such acts including torture and bullying, she indicated.
Madam Felicia Okai’s comments followed widespread reports that teachers numbering about seven from the Annor Adjaye SHS in the Jomoro Municipality have ‘brutally caned’ some 19 final-year students for being late to a Sunday Morning Service.
“The fact that they have broken the laws, there would be repercussions for that. They had no right to treat the children like that. Be assured that they would be duly punished”, she said while granting an interview on the matter on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo Morning Show on Tuesday, May 10.
She confirmed the absence of the School’s Headmaster at the time of the incident as reported by the Human Rights Reporters Ghana in its breaking story released on Sunday, May 8, 2022 to all media houses.
She stressed that “we have banned corporal punishment in schools and the law is still in force. We send a gentle reminder every term to the schools.”
The Western Regional Education Director indicated that “we sent our Guidance and Counselling Coordinator and two directors in Jomoro and Axim to go and find out what happened as soon as we were notified of the incident.”
Madam Okai, who was unhappy about the development, questioned if the teachers would subject their children to such brutality.
“When I saw the pictures of the body wounds, I asked if they would beat their own children like that. Because if we want students to attend church, you don’t do so with canes… The matter has ‘disgusted’ everyone. They shouldn’t even have canes in the schools.”
The feedback “GES to punish Annor Adjaye SHS Teachers who mercilessly caned students” is a piece of welcomed news however we stress again that the outcome should be made known to the public.
Punishing culprits of the Annor-Adjaye SHS is just one way of dealing with the challenge and is more of a reactive approach rather than a proactive approach.
Going forward, the HRRG believes that it is important that, the GES and all stakeholders start to think of how to help teachers to stop the use of canes and to move canes out of the classrooms, and schools.
More training workshops with experts as facilitators have become more important if the spirit and letter of the policy is to be felt and implemented in our schools with teachers and heads of schools playing critical leadership roles.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) received a distress message showing severe body harm inflicted on students by teachers of Annor Adjaye Senior High School, a public Senior High School (SHS) located in the Jomoro Municipality, the Southwestern part of the Western Region of Ghana.
The students heard an alarm that some teachers were coming, but since they were already dressing up for church service, they decided to remain in the dormitory and rather wait for the teachers while some others dashed out.
Teachers, per information gathered by the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) numbering about seven (7) went to the school dormitory where the students were getting dressed up for the regular service.
Upon arrival, no amount of explanation they gave was taken. The students were directed to kneel down which was followed by the severe caning which has resulted to serious visible damage to the body of the students.
The offence for which the students were brutally caned and hurt by the teachers was because they were getting late for the Sunday morning service. This abuse hinges on the students’ right to freedom of worship and religion and at the same time on the need to obey school rules as students, however, the magnitude of the corporal punishment is uncalled-for. The offence of the students gathered so far points to being late for the Sunday morning church service.
The students were further asked to go and weed a piece of land belonging to an Agric Institution after the church service.
It is alleged that the school’s head of the English department, the Assistant Head of academics, and one Senior Housemaster were part of those who went on the canning spree.
Gross Abuse as Annor Adjaye SHS Teachers Cane students to pulp and breaks the GES Code of Corporal Punishment
Although the GES has banned corporal punishment in schools since 2017, teachers do not seem ready to stop the use of canes and this can be said to be the case in Annor Adjaye Senior High School.
As a result of the continuous abuse on the part of some teachers at the basic and senior high schools, in 2017, the Ghana Education Services officially banned all forms of corporal punishment of children in schools in Ghana as part of efforts aimed at promoting a safe and protective learning environment for children.
The Ghana Education service’s directive was issued in January 2019 that a Positive Discipline Toolkit which gives alternatives to corporal punishments is adopted by all teachers. Our Country is one of the very many other countries that incorporated corporal punishment in its educational practices, as a procedure of penalizing and remedial technique. Of the many procedures of corporal punishment, caning was prevalent in Ghanaian public and private basic and senior high schools, as a quick to administer a form of punishment. However, this was not used by the Annor Adjaye SHS Teachers.
According to sources, the educators who are expected to observe the ban on caning policy of the Ghana Education Service decided to teach the students a Mother’s Day lesson.
They virtually abused the students by excessively lashing them. Students who suffered the inhumane treatment number about nineteen (19) per our sources.
Due to the inhumane treatment meted out to the students, marks from the canes can be visibly seen on their legs, arms, thighs, and their backs and blood clots are clearly visible on their bodies. The abuse happened in House 4 also known as Rev. Father Quarm House.
The question is, should students be excessively beaten and abused to compel them to be part of a church service they were already preparing for?
It is the improper use of authority and aggression. Is the intention to harm the only reasonable option for instilling discipline in students at Annor Adjaye Senior High School?
The students alleged that the brute caning is a common practice in the School by the teachers due to the location of the school in a village and far from town
Our efforts to reach the school authorities proved futile as the available school contact number could not help the Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) to reach school authorities.
However, the video evidence attached to this publication gives a clear indication of the rate of abuse meted out to the students by the teachers who should have known better and excised restrain and further deploy a human centered approach to dealing with the situation.
We call on the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Police to take up this matter and ensure they get to the bottom of this and teachers found guilty of the act are dealt with accordingly
No matter how grave the offence of this matter, the teachers who are alleged to have teamed up to abuse the second and final-year students over the compulsory religious gathering in school failed to make the right decisions.
The SHS student abused by teachers on Mother’s Day is a bad move on such a day, and parents are already worried as their children make distress calls back home.
Some harmed students are unable to sit or lie down. In the video attached, one can hear them complain of being assaulted by the teachers for being late for the early Sunday church service organized on campus.
The students have not been able to lodge an official complaint to the headmaster, who was unavailable when the incident occurred.
The students are planning to lodge an official complaint at the nearest police station. They say their hopes of applying for recruitment into any of the security services seem to be dashed because the marks on their bodies may prevent them from passing the body check phase of the recruitment process.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana is alarmed by the action by the educators and is calling for immediate action by the Ghana Police and the Ghana Education Service.
The Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) Joseph Kobla Wemakor, recently found himself dining with former US Ambassador to Ghana, Her Excellency Stephanie Sullivan, in a remarkable evening that celebrated the heroes of the 16 Days of Activism Against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Campaign.
Wemakor’s unwavering dedication to his activism roles has paid off, leading to a prestigious invitation to Ambassador Sullivan’s residence in Accra on the eve of December 9, 2021.
This exclusive event brought together a plethora of influential figures, from notable activists to staunch defenders of human rights, women’s rights, gender empowerment, and child rights.
During this memorable evening, Wemakor had the privilege of not only sharing a meal with the esteemed US Ambassador but also engaging with a diverse array of individuals committed to making a difference in various spheres of social justice.
The gathering provided an opportunity for networking, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas among like-minded individuals striving to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
Wemakor’s journey serves as a testament to the power of hard work, perseverance, and determination in effecting positive change.
His encounter with Ambassador Sullivan underscores the importance of grassroots activism and advocacy in advancing crucial causes and fostering meaningful connections on a global scale.
As Wemakor continues his vital work with Human Rights Reporters Ghana, his experience at the dinner with Ambassador Sullivan stands as a reminder of the impact that dedicated individuals can have in shaping a more just and compassionate world.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), a non-governmental organization which champions human rights advocacy and education in Ghana has equipped one thousand (1,000) students in the Volta Region with adequate knowledge on their basic rights and freedoms.
The beneficiaries who are students of the Anlo Afiadenyigba Roman Catholic Junior High School including Anlo Afiadenyigba Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P) Primary School and Junior High School were vigorously sensitized on human rights with focused attention on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and its powerful 30 articles which clearly spelt out human rights.
They were also empowered with comprehensive information on teenage pregnancy and drug abuse to guide in their stages of life in order not to fall victims.
The gesture, which seeks to promote human rights and its education with the aim of guaranteeing cultural change was in commemoration of this year’s Human Rights Day.
Mr. Joseph Wemakor, the Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG), who led the sensitization team to the region observed that community sensitization is essential to reducing young people’s vulnerability to kidnapping, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse and other social vices hence the need to always make it a conscious effort to empower the youth with the right information at all times.
While identifying disregard for human rights as the major cause of peace, freedom and justice eluding many regions of the world, Mr. Wemakor admonished the students to always ensure strict adherence to the principles of human rights which embrace respect for the individual, equality and non-discrimination in order to make the world a better place for all.
Human Rights are defined as basic rights and freedoms to which all human beings are entitled, often held to include the right to life and liberty, freedom of thought and expression and equality before the law
Human Rights are based on the principle of respect for the individual. Their fundamental assumption is that each person is a moral and rational being who deserves to be treated with dignity. They are called human rights because they are universal.
Headmaster of Anlo Afiadenyigba E.P School, Mr. James Deyfor speaking on the sidelines of the sensitization exercise lauded the Human Rights Reporters Ghana team for taking time out of their busy schedules to bring education on human rights to the students in the school.
While describing the exercise as a good initiative which would bring about change in the school, he observed that most students unfortunately do not simply understand the meaning of human rights and what contribute to rights abuse therefore often misconstrue it
Citing one of such instances, he averred that some students have misunderstood sweeping of the school environment as an abuse of rights whenever instructed to do so as result of the ban of corporal punishment in schools by the Ghana Education Service (GES) which he identified as a challenge.
He therefore appealed to the HRRG team to intervene and help correct such misrepresentation of facts with their information.
For his part, the Headmaster of Anlo Afiadenyigba R.C. Primary and Junior High School, Mr. Moses Topha-Mills noted the visitation of the HRRG’s sensitization team to the school for the second time is apt and indeed of great relief to the entire students’ body as a result of the impact, exposure and the enlightenment they have enjoyed.
“The sensitization is very useful and I must commend the Human rights reporters Ghana for the initiative”.
“The last time they came, for many months now, we have seen that the students’ attitudes have changed positively and they no longer use to do things that would endanger their future”.
He furthered: “In all, the knowledge level of the students have improved in human rights. It has broadened their horizon and I’ll encourage such exercise to be done on a termly basis”.
This is the second time, the students of Anlo Afiadenyigba Primary and JHS (A&B school) have benefited from the sensitization campaign by the Human Rights Reporters Ghana.
The first time was in May 2019 at a period when the HRRG embarked on the nationwide sensitization campaign on Kidnapping, Teenage Pregnancy and Tramadol Abuse /Drug Abuse (KTT Project) to educate the public particularly school children on the tricks employed by the kidnappers to lure their unsuspecting victims so they can easily foil their attempts.
The KTT campaign focused on addressing the issues of kidnapping, teenage pregnancy and drug abuse but equally set about creating a deeper education on human rights to bring about a cultural change.
Since the roll out of the program in July 2019, the campaign team has managed to reach over 60,000 beneficiaries particularly school children, parents and youth groups in the communities and religious settings within three regions of Ghana.
The positive feedback received from some beneficiaries a year after staging the campaign demonstrated the success of the initiative in saving lives and contributing significantly towards the advancement of the SDGs.
The initiative had won many hearts and attracted commendations towards the HRRG and its amazing team of volunteers both in and outside the borders of Ghana.
Human Rights Day is observed by the International community every year on 10 December. It commemorates the day in 1948 the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The day is observed via high-level political conferences and meetings by cultural events and exhibitions dealing with human rights issues to enhance public awareness of people’s social, cultural and physical rights, as well as ensure everyone’s wellbeing.
This year’s commemoration is on the theme: “Equality- Reducing inequalities, advancing human rights”.
The sensitization exercise was supported by the United for Human Rights (UHR), an International non-profit (US based )organization dedicated to implementing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at all levels of society.
The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) is an initiative of young Ghanaian journalists, editors, lawyers and human rights activists who have joined forces to address human rights violations in Ghana and beyond to bring countries closer to achieving the SDGs.
