Young Peoples and Human Rights Ghana

Two suspected members of a car-snatching syndicate operating in Kumasi and other parts of the country are in the grips of police. A third person whose name is being withheld is on the run. Twenty-two year old Kwame George and Kwame Tawiah, 28, were arrested Thursday night upon a tip-off at Santasi, a suburb of Kumasi, where they were preparing to launch an attack on their targets. The Police retrieved from the suspects a Toyota Corolla saloon believed to have been forcefully seized from its owner. Other items found on them include a locally-manufactured pistol with live ammunition, vehicle registration plates, road-worthy certificates and a hood. Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbillah, said the syndicate has largely contributed to the high rate crime recorded in the region in the first quarter of this year. According to him, the leader of the gang who is on the run is a notorious car-snatcher. DCOP Timbillah assured residents within and outside Kumasi that the police

A biology teacher in Mampong Akuapim School for the deaf is in police custody for taking nude pictures of three of his students. Seth Affum Danquah had lured the students into a building outside school premises, stripped them naked before taking the pictures. Two residents who saw the teacher carry out his unbridled pornography effected a citizen’s arrest and handed him over to the Mampong police. Police Commander for Akuapim Mampong, ASP Agyenim Boateng confirmed the incident in an interview with Joy News’ Dzifah Bampoh. According to him, the camera used in the teacher’s escapade was retrieved with graphic pictures of the nude students. “After we screened the camera we really realised that he took some obscene pictures of the three ladies showing part of their nakedness, upwards, specifically, their breasts and other obscene pictures,” he said. He added the suspect admitted taking the nude photographs of the students but did not explain why and to what effect. Affum Danquah has been c

27-year-old man has been banished from Tafo in Kumasi for allegedly wedding a male partner on Easter Sunday. Akwasi Boakye is believed to have played the role of a woman and was wedded by his male partner, whose name was rumored as Kwame Amankwa. The wedding, according to eye witnesses, was held at the GPRTU Conference Hall in Mbrom – the same place the two had originally booked for a birthday party. The Tafohene, Nana Agyin Frimpong II, according to reports, was highly infuriated when he got wind of the rather abominable act by the duo, and therefore decided to ostracize the ‘couple’ from the town. The decision, according to a confidante of the chief, was arrived at after Akwasi Aboagye, who is an indigene of the town, had admitted he engaged his partner in the marriage ceremony. However, as of the time of going to press yesterday, the whereabouts of the ‘couple’ were readily unknown, as speculations were rife that they had left for Accra for their honeymoon.“Boakye showed no remorse

MEDIA RELEASE Washington, DC office for the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) opens to begin preparations for world’s largest HIV/AIDS-related gathering Local office to work with DC-area community and across the U.S. to engage diverse audiences 21 March 2011 (Washington, DC) — Marking another key milestone in the lead up to the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012), the conference’s local office is open and actively engaged in outreach activities and logistical preparations for the biennial conference expected to convene more than 20,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries. AIDS 2012 will be held in Washington, DC from 22 to 27 July 2012 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The conference website, www.aids2012.org, is also live. “The local office is the focal point for our activities in Washington, DC and in the U.S. as we prepare for AIDS 2012,” said Elly Katabira, International Chair of AIDS 2012 and President of the International AIDS Society (IAS).

19 April 2011 The next Commonwealth People’s Forum will be held in Perth, Western Australia, from 25 to 27 October 2011. Find out more at www.cpf2011.org What would you place on the global agenda? The Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF), brings together civil society representatives from around the world, to discuss and debate key issues facing Commonwealth people. Held every two years in the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the CPF is the single biggest opportunity for civil society to engage with Commonwealth leaders on global development issues. Regional consultations: The journey begins with a series of regional consultations in West and Central Africa, East and Southern Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean and Pacific. Thoughts and opinions are welcome on all challenges faced by civil society in your region. More information on how to take part in these consultations will be available on the website at the end of April. These discussions culminate in

Forget those little blue pills, because a new type of condom will be laced with a Viagra-like gel to help ward off any awkward moments in the bedroom. Photo: Corbis SEE ALL 41 PHOTOS Researchers at a British biotech firm have devised a "Viagra condom" for men who can't maintain an erection while wearing protection, reports Tommy Stubbington at The Wall Street Journal. The new condom, currently known only as CSD500, will include a liquid gel that helps send blood to the penis, resulting in a firmer, longer-lasting erection. This innovation could have a big impact on the prophylactic industry, in which "innovation is rare and patent-protected inventions are infrequent." Here, a brief guide: How does it work? The condom's tip is laced with Zanifil, a liquid gel that increases blood flow to the penis. In European clinical trials, subjects reported more enduring erections, as well as an increase in penis size. When might this be on U.S. shelves? In Europe, the co

In February, the Update published a piece about how the U.S. government had pumped $35 million into a USAID program that produced a model HIV criminalization law in Africa. We know these laws typically backfire, discouraging testing and putting many at risk of unjust persecution. In fact, when we wrote the piece, Robert Clay, the director of USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS, told us the U.S. government opposes laws that criminalize HIV non-disclosure. We we were curious about this contradiction—USAID is putting its money in one place but its words in another—and asked Clay to provide more information on the federal government’s stance on the criminalization of HIV. Read Clay’s response, which is posted on USAID’s Impact blog. Unfortunately, his response fails to clarify USAID’s position on laws that prosecute HIV non-disclosure. In fact, the words “criminal” and “law” never even appear in the response. Nor does his post provide any concrete examples of programs that combat HIV criminalizatio

On December 10, 1948 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights the full text of which appears in the following pages. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." Other language versions (search by language of translation) Human Rights Day 10 December 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights PREAMBLE Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of

Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, is on a mission to empower a generation, one woman at a time. As the founder and President of the 31st December Women’s Movement, a grassroots NGO, Nana Rawlings is a firm believer that women hold the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. For nearly three decades, she has been at the forefront of women empowerment. During her tenure as Ghana’s First Lady (1981 – 2001), Mrs. Rawlings crisscrossed the globe raising a new level of awareness on gender issues in Africa. Through her skillful ability to achieve concrete, measurable results and convey them on platforms, globally, she gained international prominence as a leading activist for African women. Mobilising more than two million women across Ghana—from small-scale, village level, economic projects to standing for parliamentary elections—her organization, the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM) became one of Ghana’s earliest and most successful examples of a progressive grassroots women

Last Updated: Wednesday, 27 April 2011, 20:20 Bingu wa Mutharika recently purchased a presidential jet The UK has ordered Malawi's high commissioner to leave the country over the "unacceptable" expulsion of Britain's envoy to Lilongwe. Fergus Cochrane-Dyet was told to leave Malawi after he was quoted in a leaked cable as saying the president does not tolerate criticism. A British diplomat warned of "serious consequences", according to an internal memo seen by the BBC. Some 40% of Malawi's budget comes from abroad. The UK is the largest donor. An invitation to the Malawian government to a party at the high commission to celebrate the royal wedding on Friday has been withdrawn. According to the diplomatic cable published by the local Weekend Nation newspaper last week, Mr Cochrane-Dyet described Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika as "becoming ever more autocratic and intolerant of criticism". He said local civil society activists were

Six out of twelve foreigners including an ex-Nigerian soldier and a policeman, who are alleged to be behind various robberies at filling stations within Accra, Tema and Kasoa areas, have been arrested. They are Merlin Joseph aka Bright- 23, Eric Uda Madusbuchi aka No One Is God- 20, Okechukwu aka Joseph Oti- 22, Ihedi Kenneth aka Fella- 29 and their ammunition keepers Hope and Charles. Those at large are Obina, leader of the gang, Okosisi, an ex-Nigerian soldier and a police officer who is yet to be identified, Sonny Good and Bad, and Big Obina aka Wabinu. Items retrieved from the robbers include a fully-loaded pump action gun, a foreign pistol with five rounds of ammunitions, two locally-made pistols, three hammers, sellotapes, hacksaw blade, twenty cartridges, three garden gun cartridges and seven assorted mobile phones. Briefing the media, the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Rose Bio Atingah, together with her deputy, ACP C.T. Yohuno and Superintendent Frank Adufati, the Regi

The Legon Police say they are currently screening a number of students of the University of Ghana suspected to have been involved in molesting Amina Haruna, an alleged thief who the police said had earlier been arrested twice for the same offence on the Legon campus. The university has also indicated in a press release issued on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, that a fact-finding committee set up by the school had since Tuesday, April 12, completed its work and submitted a report to the Vice-Chancellor, who is the Head of the Disciplinary Committee. “The fact-finding committee appointed by the executive committee of the university to look into the circumstances leading to the mentioned event has completed its work and submitted a report on its findings to the Dean of Students and the Vice-Chancellor on Tuesday, 12th April 2011. The committee identified a number of students who were present during the molestation as seen in the video clips produced and also from credible eye-witness accounts

Two human rights advocates have asked the government to make the award of those who defend human rights a national policy. The two are the acting Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ms Anna Bossman and the acting British High Commissioner, Mr Matthew Johnson. They raised this issue in Accra at the first "Human -Rights Defenders' Awards", initiated by CHRAJ with the support of the British High Commission. Ms Bossman in her remarks, said, "as a nation we need to ensure that we recognise and institutionalise awarding the work of rights activists and defenders," while Mr Johnson was of the view that doing that would raise the level of ambition for the promotion and protection of human rights in Ghana and beyond its borders. The awards night was programmed to focus primarily on the award winners. Four defenders of human rights, Ms Betty Ayagibah, the founder of the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), Mrs. Ethel Mac-Harris

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Western Region today received 1,350,000 long lasting insecticide nets (LLINs) from the UK government and UNICEF. Along with 1,000,000 nets handed over to GHS in the Central Region, these bed nets are expected to reach over 4.7 million people including 940,000 children under the age of 5. Ms Sally Taylor, the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID) Country Director for Ghana, said, “the UK government is committed to support the Government of Ghana in its fight against malaria which takes the lives of so many children below the age of five.” DFID, UNICEF and the Ghana Health Service are partnering to ensure that Ghana’s target of reducing the burden of malaria by 75% by 2015 is achieved. Using funds from DFID, UNICEF has purchased 2,350,000 bed nets, which will be distributed by the Ghana Health Service to beneficiaries in July. Over 800,000 families in the Western and Central regions will benefit from the supply of these nets. Malaria r

The Trades Union Congress has lashed out at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly for the “erratic” attempts to rid the city’s streets of hawkers. The Secretary General of the worker’s union, Yaw Asamoah told Joy News’ Dzifah Bampoh on Tuesday, that taking hawkers out of the streets without providing an alternative market will not work. He said the several failed attempts by the Assembly to win the war on the decongestion of the city’s streets is a testament that the policy is ineffective. According to him, the AMA’s attempt is only a “nine day wonder,” hinting that the hawkers will soon return to the streets. Mr Asamoah however expressed worry that the activities of the AMA officials will deny the hawkers their sources of income, suggesting that the AMA must take a more holistic approach to solving the problems of street hawking. He was even more depressed with the alleged assaults said to have been unleashed on the hawkers by the AMA officers. But the AMA has dismissed the assertions by th

One hundred and ninety-five suspected criminals have been arrested, in a combined operation by officials of Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters, in Tudu, Accra. The 195 suspects including a woman would be screened and those found culpable would be charged accordingly. The Director General of CID, DCOP Prosper Agblor, said the exercise was to weed the Tudu area of drug peddlers and other criminals to ensure a peaceful Easter festivity. He stressed that the operation was not a nine-day-wonder, adding that it would be sustained. The police boss further cautioned criminals to turn a new leaf in order to stay out of police grips or risk arrest and prosecution. “A note of caution is being sounded to all drug peddlers, cultivators and traffickers to put an end to their activities else the security services will always pursue them.” The operation, according to DCOP Agblor, was a national exercise and was supposed to be replicated through

“Pastor Addy came to my house, asked me to pray with him and that he has had some bad revelations about me. While we were praying, he undressed me and started licking my vagina ….” These were the words of a 32-year-old woman who alleged that she was sexually assaulted by a pastor at Omanjor near Sowutuom, a suburb of Accra. The pastor, Stephen Addy-Powell of Crown Miracle International Ministries, Omanjor, was therefore arrested by the Sowutuom Police to assist in their investigations. According to the victim, the incident happened on the afternoon of April 15, 2011. “I was in the house that afternoon when I heard somebody banging on our main gate, so I rushed to see who that person was.” She said when she went to open the gate she saw Pastor Stephen Addy Powell holding a Bible together with two others. “Pastor introduced himself as a man of God, and also founder and leader of Crown Miracle International Ministries Omanjor and that he had a message for me. So I ushered him into my sitt

FOURTEEN PERSONS including an Indian staff of Western Steel and Forgings Limited, Tema, have sustained severe injuries following two separate explosions at the smelting company last Thursday and Friday. Two of the victims, whose genitals were said to have been damaged in the last explosion at the Oxygen Plant of the smelter, are currently receiving treatment at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra where they were rushed to after the ghastly accident. Five of the 11 injured persons in Thursday’s explosion at the Melting Furnace Plant who were immediately rushed to the Narh-Bita Hospital in Tema, had been treated and discharged, according to information gathered by DAILY GUIDE at the facility. Narrating the incident to DAILY GUIDE at the Narh-Bita Hospital, William Nuamah, one of the six hospitalized victims at the facility, said on Thursday morning when he and his 10 colleagues arrived at the furnace, a supervisor ordered them to top up a container with smelting metal which should ha

Five dead bodies have been washed ashore the kokrobite Beach in Accra. The five all-male bodies are believed to be some revelers who thronged to the beach on Easter Monday to swim. An eyewitness, who only gave his name as Galore told Citi News from the Krokrobite Beach that the fifth body was washed ashore a while ago while the other four were spotted earlier in the day. “We were here when we saw a dead body coming out from the sea so the people here pulled it out. Actually there had been about four dead bodies already but some minutes ago another body also came from the sea and they pulled it out”. In another development three people have also been confirmed dead in a stampede at the La Pleasure Beach in Accra. According to the beach attendant who spoke to Joy FM, the three people died after some people anxiously rushed out of the beach when it threatened to rain. The bodies have since been deposited at the La General Hospital. Source: Ghanaweb.com

Three people, two of them minors, have been confirmed dead in a stampede at the La Pleasure Beach in Accra, Easter Monday. The three were part of revelers who thronged the beach to have fun with family and friends but were suffocated to death at the exit point. Some eyewitnesses who spoke to Joy News’ Kweku Botwe blamed the incident on the narrow entry and exit points at the beach, an allegation beach officials have been quick to rebuff. The beach attendant, Fred Afful said the gates are big and wide enough but attributed the unfortunate incident to miscreants who he alleged deliberately created the stampede to rob people of their belongings. He also explained that some people anxiously rushed out of the beach when it threatened to rain. The combined effect of the two incidents, he reckoned, were the cause of the stampede. The bodies of the victims have been deposited at the La General Hospital, with the eldest believed to be in her twenties, with the other two who are said to be sibli