Human rights are "rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled". Proponents of the concept usually assert that everyone is endowed with certain entitlements merely by reason of being human.

Ghana is a sovereign country in West Africa. It was a British colony until 6th March 1957, when it became the first country south of the Sahara to gain independence. The fundamental rights of a Ghanaian have been enshrined in the Chapter 5 of the 1992 Constitution. Amongst some of the rights protected under the 1992 constitution includes, protection of right of life, personal liberty, slavery and forced labour, protection of privacy of home and other property and protection of fundamental human rights and freedom. It also provides for women and child rights, economic and educational rights. Not only these but also, rights of the sick, rights of disabled people and property rights of spouses.

LGBT rights

LGBT rights in Ghana are heavily suppressed. Physical and violent attacks against homosexual people are common, often encouraged by the media and religious and political leaders. Reports of young gay men being kicked out of their homes are also common. Despite the Constitution guaranteeing a right to freedom of speech, of expression, and of assembly to Ghanaian citizens, these fundamental rights are actively denied to LGBT people, especially for those who are homosexual.

Religious freedom The 1992 Constitution depicts that Ghana is a secular state and allows freedom of religion. In the preamble of the constitution, it reads “In the name of the Almighty God, We the people of Ghana in the exercise of our inalienable rights….“ This is also evident in the Ghana population Census report, Christianity accounts for 68.8% of the population, followed by Islam (15.9%) and traditional religion (8.5%). Only 6.1% of respondents claimed to have no religious affiliations. The remaining 0.7 percent of the population is made up of smaller religious groups, such as Buddhism and Eckankar.RefWorld The right to religion belief and practice is guaranteed under Article 21(1)(c) of the 1992 Constitution, although while the freedom to believe is essentially unrestricted, the exercise of the belief is subject to restrictions in the interest of public safety, morality, etc. This is protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights' (ICCPR) Article 18 guarantee. Article 26 of the Constitution, which enables the exercise of customary practices with the qualification that any customary practice that violates the rights of any individual will be forbidden.

Although the constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, the government sometimes restricts those rights. In 2010, the police arbitrarily arrest and detain journalists. Some journalists practise self-censorship. In 2012, the constitution prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government respects these prohibitions in practice."Ghana 2012 report", Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 March 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2014.

In 2002 the government of Ghana censored Internet media coverage of tribal violence in Northern Ghana.

In 2023, the country was scored 3 out of 4 for religious freedom.Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-03 A notable example is Tyrone Marhguy, whose 2021 legal dispute over religious expression in school admissions was widely reported in international media.

Prison conditions

Squalid conditions, poor food, and overcrowding in Ghana's prisons were called "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," by the UN in 2013. The extent of prison overcrowding is estimated to be higher than the government's official figures. Prison authorities use a system where inmates known as "black coats" whip other misbehaving prisoners with canes.

Historical situation The following chart shows Ghana's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "most free" and 7 is "least free". In the 2020s, the Freedom in the World reports are rated from 1 to 4.Freedom House website, retrieved 2023-08-3

There also follows a list of treaties agreed by the government authorities. YearPolitical RightsCivil LibertiesStatusPresident 197266Not FreeKofi Abrefa Busia 19737Ignatius Kutu Acheampong 19745 1975 1976 197765Partly Free 197854 19794Fred Akuffo 198023FreeHilla Limann 198165Not Free 1982Jerry Rawlings 1983 198476 1985 1986 1987 19886 19895 1990 19916 199255Partly Free 19934 1994 19954 19963 19973 1998 1999 200023Free 2001 2002John Kufuor 20032 2004 20051 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010John Atta Mills 2011 2012 2013John Dramani Mahama 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo 20192 2020 2021 2022

YearPolitical RightsCivil LibertiesOverall scoreStatusPresident 20234380%FreeNana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Treaty Organization Introduced Signed Ratified Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide United Nations1948-1958 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination196619661966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights196620002000 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights196620002000 First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights196620002000 Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity1968-2000 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid1973-1978 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women197919801986 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment198420002000 Convention on the Rights of the Child198919901990 Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty1989-- International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families199020002000 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women199920002011 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict200020032014 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography20002003- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities200620072012 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities200620072012 International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance20062007- Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights20082009- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure20112013-

See also Internet censorship and surveillance in Ghana Women in Ghana

Notes 1.Note that the "Year" signifies the "Year covered". Therefore the information for the year marked 2008 is from the report published in 2009, and so on. 2.As of January 1. 3.The 1982 report covers the year 1981 and the first half of 1982, and the following 1984 report covers the second half of 1982 and the whole of 1983. In the interest of simplicity, these two aberrant "year and a half" reports have been split into three year-long reports through interpolation.

References

External links 2012 Annual Report , by Amnesty International Freedom in the World 2012 Report , by Freedom House