NRC Fund

The National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), would initiate a public debate on the establishment of a Reparation Fund for victims of human rights abuses towards the end of its work.

Mr Mohammed Affum of the Public Affairs Secretariat of the Commission, said the National Reconciliation Act, Act 611, stipulates the establishment of the Fund, adding that, the debate would among other things determine whether contributions should be voluntary or sourced from taxes.

He was speaking at the first of a series of forum at Korle-Gonno on the progress of the Commission's work for Muslims from five communities in Accra.

Similar functions would be held at Nima, Alajo, Abossey Okai and the University of Ghana, Legon for the Ghana Muslims Students Union.

The Office of the National Chief Imam in collaboration with the Civil Society Coalition on Reconciliation and the Centre for Democratic Development organised the forum on the theme: Towards Achieving Lasting National Reconciliation.

Mr Affum said the Fund would be similar to the Stadium Disaster Fund and explained that in other countries where national reconciliatory exercises had been held, bodies, different from the Commission were established to handle the Reparation Fund.

He said the Commission, was examining human rights abuses in unconstitutional regimes between 1957 and 1993 and would make recommendations to the President for redress.

Mr Affum said the public hearings offered victims who suffered pain physical torture, trauma and loss of dignity the opportunity to tell the world what they went through.

He said many of the victims were harbouring "distasteful thoughts" and were looking for opportunities to revenge.

Their testimonies at the public hearings are helping them to "offload the pain in their hearts and to re-establish their lost dignity".

Mr Affum said authority for the public hearings of the Commission was based on Act 611, adding that, private hearing would be held for victims whose cases were "very traumatising" and demanded it.

The Commission would also hold private hearing when cases had bearing with national security.

Mr Affum said the Commission was examining if the training of personnel in certain institutions predisposed them to violent acts and recommend structural changes where necessary.

Sheikh Seebaway Zakaria of the Counselling Department of the NRC, said over 1,000 statements had been taken from victims who had been "destabilised" mentally and emotionally and were suffering from stigmatisation, pain and psychological disorders with some suffering from stroke and other diseases.

Sheikh Zakaria, who is also a lecturer at the Islamic University, said human rights violations had negative economic and social repercussions.

He said the reconciliation process would help to "patch-up lives and bring healing to even the perpetrator," saying, "the hearing would bring relief to the victim to forgive".

Sheikh Zakaria said the process of reconciliation was not new in Islam, and Koranic references stressed the need for forgiveness, which brought divine blessings.

He charged Muslims to educate both victims and perpetrators to follow the path of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Mr Franklin Oduro of the Centre for Democratic Development said the exercise was national rather than a partisan activity and asked Ghanaians to get involved in the process to make it a success.