Young Peoples and Human Rights Ghana

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