CHRAJ records over 14,000 Cases annually

Kumasi, August 2, GNA- Mr. Richard Quayson, Deputy Commissioner of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has said that, the body annually received over 14,000 cases mostly from individuals.

He said that out of the number 11,155 representing more than 76 per cent were resolved whilst 597 of the cases were transferred to other reconciliatory centres.

Mr. Quayson announced this when he presented a paper on "Establishing Partnership with CHRAJ" at a day's Media Sensitization Programme in Kumasi on Friday, organised by the Commission and sponsored by DANIDA. The programme aims among others to forge a stronger Media/CHRAJ collaboration to enable the CHRAJ to harness the functions and potentials of journalists to expose human rights abuses and corruption and also to hold the government accountable. He said CHRAJ considered the Media as a strong and powerful partner in creating public awareness on to the rights of the citizenry. The Deputy Commissioner said the Commission investigated cases of alleged or suspected corruption and misappropriation of public monies and conflict of interest of public officers among other cases. Mr. Quayson said CHRAJ handled cases on corruption, economics, social and cultural rights, adding that between 1994 and 2005, the head office of the Commission dealt with 100 corruption cases. He explained that, CHRAJ, performed promotional and preventive as well as protection and enforcement functions and that most of the cases it dealt with involved human rights violations and administrative injustice.

Mr. Quayson said the Commission had through its own initiative evolved cost effective preventative methodologies reducing the temptations of public officers indulging in corruption. He explained that the methods were employed because the numerous anti-corruption interventions which entailed investigations and punishment of offenders were very expensive. Mr. Quayson asked "Why sit down for corruption to occur before we use huge state funds to do investigation and mete out punishment". He said CHRAJ needed more logistics and improved conditions of service for staff to enable the Commission to perform its duties to the optimum, adding that there was staff attrition due to lack of attractive incentive packages.

Mr. Quayson urged the public to report any human rights violations including administrative injustice, economic and domestic cases to any office of the Commission. Mrs. Comfort Akosua Edu, Public Relations Officer of CHRAJ, called on the media to promote pro-active journalism rather than reactive approach to their work to help foster national development. Mr. Gyamfi Dankwa, Ashanti Regional Director of the Commission, charged media personnel to report on human rights issues.