Young Peoples and Human Rights Ghana

  Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your browser . Uganda Update: IGLHRC Welcomes Closing of Ugandan Parliament Without Vote on Anti-Homosexuality Bill For Immediate Release (New York, 13 May 2011) The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission joins colleagues in Uganda in welcoming today's closing of the current Ugandan Parliament without adoption of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. The news comes after a week in which the possibility of the notor...

Topic 3: Improving country level partnerships and alignment Guiding Question What are the ways the Global Fund can strengthen the effectiveness of its country-level partnerships to improve outcomes and impact for the three diseases? Introduction The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created as a global partnership that has an operational architecture based on a series of assumptions that included the following: - The Global Fund would not need a country presence as partners (mainly multilateral United Nations organizations and bilateral agencies) would represent the Global Fund partnership at the country level; - The Global Fund would not need to provide a global or regional mechanism for technical assistance to countries, as other resources would be available for this support; and - Providing long-term comprehensive support for country HIV, tuberculosis and malaria responses would remain key priorities for all of the partners involved. As par...

After three years, soldiers who forced a couple loitering around the Osu Castle to have sex at gunpoint have been found guilty. The incident, which took place in 2008, became public after a widely circulated video of the incident caught the attention of the general public and human right activities who called for an investigation into the incident. After weeks of investigations into the shameful incident, Joy News confirmed that the soldiers have been found guilty and have been sanctioned accordingly. The Public Relations Officer of the Military High Command, Col. Mbawuni Atintande told Joy News Tuesday that, “these two Naval [personnel] have been identified… investigations went on and then as per our regulations, this is a very reprehensible act, we know that its an offence and we have to do something about it.” Col. Atintande further disclosed that after identifying the officers involved, “they have been charged and tried.” He however failed to reveal the type of punishment meted out...

9 May 2011   My fellow South Africans, Today, 9 May 2011, marks the anniversary of a grave miscarriage of justice. On this day five years ago, I was found not guilty of rape by Judge Van der Merwe in the South Gauteng High Court. The years since that fateful day have been very fruitful for me. I was elected President of the Republic of South Africa, have married twice more, have been able to use my power to avoid further criminal charges and have increased both my own wealth and that of my family. Despite this good fortune, however, I find myself wracked by guilt over my actions all those years ago. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to come clean, to tell the full story of how I got away with rape and beg the forgiveness of both the country and the woman I raped. I did indeed rape Khwezi, on 2 November 2005 in my Forest Town home. I did not imagine for one moment that either her silence or her dress signaled consent; the fact that I used both these arguments in court ...

Sixty-three remand prisoners at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison whose cases have not been heard since their incarceration have been granted unconditional release under the Justice For All Programme. Thirty-two others whose warrants have expired have also been granted bail because their dockets cannot be traced. However, one remand prisoner was convicted, while four cases that merited prosecution were adjourned. The Executive Director of the Centre for Human Rights and Civil Liberties (CHURCIL), a human rights non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr Kojo Graham, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that those who were granted bail last Friday and met the conditions were required to report themselves regularly to police stations within their localities. He said that a team of police personnel and investigators collected detailed information on the released prisoners, particularly those on bail, in an effort to monitor their activities. Three Appeal Court judges, namely, Justice C.J. Honyenu...

A woman from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Odorkor, a suburb of Accra, claims to have sighted the mark of the beast, 666, on some Ghanaian foreheads. Eunice Dzidzor told Joy News’ Sammy Darko her testimony is real, God-sent and has disastrous consequences if it is treated with contempt. The 666 in biblical evocation marks the beginning of end-time in which only the people with the mark of the beast will be allowed to buy and sell. Revelations 13: 15-18 reads; "He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His numbe...

Despite significant improvements, representation of key populations on Country Coordinating Mechanisms and in grant proposals remains unacceptably low   (May 3, 2011) – A new analysis of all HIV proposals from Rounds 8, 9 and 10 of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) shows improvements in funding trends for men who have sex with men (MSM), transgender people and sex workers, three populations severely impacted by the HIV epidemic worldwide. However, the analysis reveals that despite clear gains, these key populations remain gravely underrepresented on the GFATM's Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCMs) and in GFATM grant proposals. The report was released in advance of the upcoming GFATM Partnership Forum Meeting, the Twenty-Third GFATM Board Meeting in mid-May, and the unveiling of the GFATM's new five-year strategy later this year.   The GFATM analysis involved reviews of all funded and unfunded HIV proposals from Rounds 8 through 10 and reports ...