Entries Tagged as 'Ghana'
The West African nation of Ghana celebrated 50 years of independence in 2007.
While Ghana is a stable and democratic nation, the country still struggles with a number of human rights issues.
To address those issues, Journalists for Human Rights places Canadian media trainers in Ghanaian newsrooms to work with local journalists in covering human rights stories.
The goal of the five-year plan is to help curb human rights abuses by using the media to increase the public’s awareness of human rights issues.
This video case study examines JHR’s strategy and its effectiveness.
Directed and Produced by Doug Murray
Tags: Ghana
The UN has mandated February 6th as of Zero Tolerance For FGM Day. FGM entails a partial or total removal of the clitoris from the female organ. Practitioners believe it reduces promiscuity in women, but the practice has serious health implications for victims. Under the Ghanaian constitution of 1994, FGM is considered prohibited as a “customary practice” that is considered dehumanizing and “injurious to the physical and mental well-being of a person.” In addition, the Criminal Code in 1994 officially criminalize the practice and listed FGM as a second-degree felony. This all reads very well on paper, but statistics show that the FGM rates in Ghana still hover around 9 - 15 percent. How exactly does one legislate against a traditional practice that simply won’t die?
JOY NEWS’ Evans Mensah spoke to the head of the Women’s Dept. at the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs on the Newsnight Programme to find out why the legislation against FGM is ineffective and if there are any alternative ways of phasing out the practice.
Tags: Ghana
Residents of Dumase in the Wassa West District of the Western Region of Ghana are being asked to leave their homes. They face the difficult decision of whether relocation is better than staying in their community, which has been polluted by Canadian mining company Golden Star Bogoso Resources Ltd.
The communitys traditional water supply, 7 or 8 streams of potable water, have either been dammed, dried-up or polluted by chemical spills due to mining activity in the area.
by Christian Baidoo with files from Kevin Hill
Tags: Ghana
It’s been three days since the AMA vowed to enforce its directive that all taxi drivers in Accra must wear uniforms. Drivers who don’t follow the order will be punished and may have their cars seized. JOY NEWS hit the streets to check if the taxi drivers are complying with the directives. We discovered that although most are following the orders, not all of them are happy about it. JOY reporter Peter Mensah went to an Accra taxi stand to see how things are going.
Tags: Ghana
Less than a third of the city’s Muslim children are in school
Ghana’s hopes in reaching its millenium development goal of middle income status by 2015 rest largely on the shoulders of its young people. But that means the countries literacy rate needs to improve greatly, and soon. As the country’s second biggest city, Kumasi will play a big role in the success or failure of obtaining that goal. And when it comes to education, the Muslim Community in particular has a long way to go. Muftawu Mohammed reports.
Muftaw Mohammed Reports weith Files from Brennan Leffler
Tags: Ghana
Residents of the Sodom and Gomorrah slum say they will need at least six months to resettle to a new site as dictated by government.
Minister for Works, Water and Housing Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique announced a few days ago that people in the slum would be expected to move out to the new settlement in Agyinkotoku by the end of January. But opinion leaders in the area they need more time to conduct a head count. This will help planners determine appropriate housing in the new settlement. Meanwhile, some people living in the slum have continued to build residence instead of preparing for the January move. Past government efforts to resettle residents of the slum have failed. The area is known for the high incidence of teen pregnancy, prostitution and armed robbery. JOY NEWS reporter Seth Kwame Boateng visited the slum and spoke to some of the people who live there.
Alison Lang
Tags: Ghana
Getting produce to market in saleable condition is a big problem for farmers in many parts of Ghana. Even good quality food can rot in a short period of time, due to poor packaging and storage facilities. But safekeeping of goods is expensive, especially for farmers who have invested heavily in the latest growing and harvesting techniques. Every year, Ghana celebrates Farmer’s Day on the first Friday of December. This Farmer’s Day, Kofi Adu Domfeh has more on how producers can improve the quality of food available to the public, and bolster their bottom line.
Kofi Adu Domfeh reports from Ghana
Tags: Ghana
If you have not heard from a relative for some months or years now, then authorities at the Accra Police Hospital are asking you to check on him or her at the Police Hospital mortuary. According to the hospital authorities there are scores of unknown bodies there. Mass burial has been organized for two hundred and twenty four unknown bodies from January to October this year. Seth Kwame Boateng has been touring the Accra Police Hospital mortuary. He reports that for some officials, the surplus of bodies is becoming troubling.
Alison Lang and Seth Kwame Boateng Report
Tags: Ghana
There was a time in Ghana when cases of domestic violence were resolved privately. But now, people are gradually realizing the importance of reporting these cases to the proper authorities.
This is thanks partly to gender advocacy groups who begin celebrating 16 days of activism against gender violence today. According to the Greater Accra Regional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSSU) it has received 3,304 cases between January and October this year. Seth Kwame Boateng visited the Greater Accra DVVSSU and listened to two people’s stories.
Seth Kwame Boateng reports with files from Alison Lang
Tags: Ghana
While news headlines might give the impression that tolerance is in short supply these days, many examples exist of people from different backgrounds showing respect and appreciation for each other. In honor of such efforts, UNESCO sets aside the 16th of November each year as International Day for Tolerance. The special day is to remind people that building tolerance is often a matter of community and individual work, and not just the responsibility of governments. We bring you views on tolerance in religion and ethnicity in the following report read by Alex Kobina Mensah.
Tags: Ghana
