Two United Nations (UN) Agencies in Ghana, have called on the youth to champion efforts towards promoting a culture of human rights.
UN Resident Coordinator, Madam Sylvia Lopez-Ekra, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Representative in Ghana, Madam Anne-Claire Dufay, made the call at a youth engagement forum with Heads of UN Agencies on the sidelines of the International Human Rights Day, as well as end of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
The event created a platform for young human rights advocates, to highlight their concerns and enter into a dialogue with UN Heads of Agencies on key thematic issues including the human rights of children, access to health and education, discrimination against women, people with disabilities and people living with HIV and the rights of migrants and refugees.
This year, Human Rights Day is following the celebrations of the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Ghana became the first country to ratify in 1990.
This milestone has been marked by bringing attention to upholding the full enjoyment of fundamental human rights and freedoms by children and youth.
The UN is capitalising on this momentum to spotlight the leadership role of youth in collective movements as a source of inspiration for a better future by marking Human Rights Day under the theme “Youth Standing Up for Human Rights”.
Madam Lopez-Ekra said concerns raised by the youth pointed to the fact that there is a barrier they face in their effort to reach out to decision makers.
She said there was a link between development and human right; adding that, “we will not realize sustainable development goals if we don’t realize the human rights agenda, and we will not make progress if we leave some behind”.
Madam Dufay said study had shown that one out of every three girls suffered sexual abuse, as such, there was a need to intensify effort in addressing the menace, which the youth had a role to play.
She tasked the youth to speak up, without feeling intimidated, share views and ideas, particularly for the most vulnerable in society.
National Programme Officer for Culture at the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Mr Carl Ampah, said looking at the Millelium Development Goals, culture was an afterthought, however, with the current SDG culture was a conscious effort to ensure, it served as an alternative paradigm for development.
He said culture was transmitted from the old to the young, and so there was a need to ask questions as to what was being transferred to the youth; adding that “fortunately the Right to Information Bill has been passed, young people need the information to be able to live; for their sexuality, education and health”.
Country Director, UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, Mrs Angela Trenton- Mbonde, said with regards to human rights, policy makers must focus on victims, and get to the grassroots to ascertain the real issues on the ground, issues of marginalisation and discrimination.
She said there was a need to also educate parents to give their children that level of consciousness, saying, stakeholders must dialogue with parents, to look at how children are being socialized.
A Governance and Human Right Advocate, Mr Aaron Atimpe, said the youth constituted majority of the population, however, the challenge was that, policies were being made without their involvement, and, inadequate capacity for youth to partake in the decision making process.
A youth civic engagement activist, Mr Akwasi Sarpong, also said among issues identified in a report, he compiled after engaging the youth across the country, was that young people lacked civic skills, the ability to participate, how to identify issues and platforms that can help address them.
Madam Rachel Obidieh, who is campaigning for the rights of refugees, said refugees in Ghana want to be heard, stating that, less attention was being given to students who want to engage in technical or vocational training.
An advocate of rights of migrants,Mr Emmanuel Clifford Gyetuah, said the discussion had always been on international migrants, but it was time to focus on internal migrants, as a lot of people have moved from one location in the country to another, most of which are children.
