Human rights far from reality for Africans

By Ebenezer Hanson
It is instructive that within a space of two weeks, Ghanaians have been apprised on the human rights situation on the African Continent; the first by the Amnesty International-Ghana led by Michael Brigandi followed by that of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights under Commissioner Musa Bitaye.
The Amnesty International Report 2008-The State of the World’s Human Rights made available to the Ghanaian media contains a revelation of a litany of violations of human rights on the African continent. From Algeria to Zimbabwe and from Gambia to Somalia, the human rights record is abysmally poor.
The reports notes that although a number of protracted armed conflicts have been resolved, such as in Angola, Southern Sudan, Sierra Leone and Liberia, their human rights consequences endure, affecting both economic and social development and the political arena.
It observes, “The violent struggle for power, even in states which do not descend into armed conflict, still remains an important component of politics in Africa, in spite of moves towards democratization in many countries.”
It further notes that despite significant developments in African human rights institutions, notably the establishment of African Court on Human and People’s Rights and the establishments of various Human Rights Commissions in various countries, “the human rights promised in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) are far from being a reality for the people of Africa”.
The Report captures gory details of the perpetration of high handedness unleashed against victims with impunity in many countries. “Police and other law enforcement officers were rarely held accountable for serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and other ill-treatment.
Such impunity prevailed in many countries including Angola, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Law enforcement officers frequently used excessive force in countries including Benin, the Republic of Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Nigeria, Sudan and Zimbabwe. Incidents of excessive use of force were often not investigated, even when people were killed,” the Report observes.
The members of the United Nations, the Report submits, showed great leadership and foresight 60 years ago when they adopted the UDHR, agreeing on a comprehensive set of rights. Over the years, this unity of purpose was lost and today human rights issues divide rather unite us. The many crises facing the world and for that matter Africa, require concerted and united action by states to protect human rights, but the record of both the old and the new powers-whether at home or abroad-does not inspire confidence.
To Amnesty International, optimism for the future resides in the fact that a global civil society is uniting; rejecting the divisions of the rich and poor, secular and religious and north/south, and demanding unified action by states.
Coming at the heels of the launch of the Amnesty 2008 Report was the five-day visit of Ngary Musa Bitaye, member of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) with oversight responsibility for Ghana to the county. Mr. Bitaye, who was accompanied by Robert Wundeh Eno and Mrs. Tossin Nguher, was on what he termed “a promotional visit” and engaged with stake holders such as the judiciary, the Ghana Journalists Association, National Aids Commission, the Ghana Police Service as well as various NGOs including the Third World Network (TWN) Africa.
According to Mr. Bitaye they were in the country to learn about the human rights situation of the country and to explore ways and means of enhancing and promoting human rights in the country.
At a lecture organized by the TWN, Mr. Bitaye lamented the poor human rights record on the continent and called for concerted efforts form all stakeholders to arrest the situation. He believed the establishment of Commissions of Human Rights and Ombudsman offices in the respective countries with the requisite human capacity and facilities are indispensable to the realization of the goals enshrined in the UDHR.
He also appealed to Africans not to hesitate in seeking redress at the ACHPR after they have exhausted remedies in their home countries. All said and done, the ends of human rights and for that matter justice on the continent have not yet been attained and it a collective responsibility for all stakeholders to work towards them be it governments, human rights commissions, the ACHPR and civil society.