NRC Victim Mobilisation Squad formed

Suhum (Eastern Region) --The first Victim Mobilisation Squad, a civil society group was established at Suhum on Friday to help victims of human rights abuse or witness to some of the abuses within the period being examined by the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), who for financial reasons could not appear before the commission, to have a hearing by the NRC.

The group is also to identify people who due to the trauma that they suffered as a result of human right abuses, had withdrawn from society, to be referred for home counsellors to help them overcome their predicament.

The seven-member committee is made up of Edward Mensah, representing Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Osei Baidoo Pita, Ghana Commission on Human and People's Right (GCHPR), Rev. Fr. John Tetteh, Suhum Local Council of Churches and Isaac Crampah of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE).

Other members of the group include, Agyepong Baah of Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mrs. Janeela Braku Boateng, the Ahamadyia Movement and Mrs Gladys Ansah Kumi, representing the Suhum/Kraboa/Coaltar District Assembly.

The Squad was established after a one-day public education forum organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), GCHPR in collaboration with the Suhum/Kraboa/Coaltar District Assembly and sponsored by the Open Society Initiative of West Africa (OSIWA), an international non-governmental organisation based in Senegal.

Speaking at the forum, Dr. Araba Sefa-Dede, Director, Counselling and Support Department of the NRC observed that the whole Ghanaian society was guilty of human rights abuse since it was the environment that the society created that enable some people to abuse the human rights of others.

She explained that, in the Ghanaian society, with the slightest harm, people rush to the scene and without the slightest evidence pass judgement on others and go to the extent of taking the victims life.

Dr. Sefa-Dede urged Ghanaians to focus their energies on development and stop wasting their resources on thinking of pulling down others or how to visit revenge on other people. Ms. Annie Anipa, Director of Public Affairs of the NRC said the Commission has a witness protection programme for the provision of security for witnesses who feel that by appearing at the Commission, they could face a security threat.

Richard Apronti of the GCHPR said it was time members of civil society study the law establishing the NRC and to champion public discussions in their communities. He explained that, the aim of establishing the Victim Mobilisation Squad was to enable the Squad to mobilise people who have suffered human rights abuses in their communities but for various reasons could not appear before the NRC to do so in order that they could also gain from whatever package that would come out of the programme.

Franklin Oduro, Programmes Officer of CDD-Ghana, said his organisation has decided to assist people who want to appear before the NRC but has problems to do so. He therefore, called on all people with such problems to contact the Victim Mobilisation Squad for support.

In a welcoming address, the District Chief Executive of Suhum/Kraboa/Coaltar District, Kofi Mensah called on Ghanaians to transform the lesson of their bitter past into the future for positive ideas.