Liberian refugess deserve social justice too

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According to BBC NEWS of March 18, 2008, as per a Ghanaian minister’s decision, a group of Liberian women refugees who have held naked protests by the roadside are to be deported from Ghana.

The BBC report indicates that hundreds of the women were arrested on Monday, March 17, 2008 and taken away from a refugee camp in 10 buses. They were protesting at plans to send them home with $100. The report adds that - they demand $1,000 and to be resettled in the West instead.

According to the Interior Minister, Kwamena Bartels "When women strip themselves naked and stand by a major highway, that is not a peaceful demonstration," he told the BBC's Network Africa program. Yet he admits “stripping naked is a traditional form of protest amongst poor and powerless women in Africa”.

As per the minister’s own admission, these powerless women are being punished for using the only peaceful weapon they have. This is not social justice.

The Interior Minister said they had broken local laws by not informing the police of their protest. Do all protests necessarily require a police permit? Granting this is the case; would we suggest employees that are being mishandled on the job require a police permit to ask their employers, say for a raise? We may agree that such weaklings would never be heard in our part of world where rule of law is thinly applied. One cannot always have to wait for a permit to address urgent issues that are being ignored by authorities. Thus, I conclude that the Interior Minister is only playing the political game of “scapegoats.”

1. I am not against resettling the Liberians in their own soils. Nor do I advocate for forced social integration. However, I advocate for social justice. All of us deserve some degree of fairness.

2. UN first and foremost must be lauded for the role it has played in protecting the lives of innocent citizens of war-thronged countries in Africa, including these refugees from Liberia. In like manner, the Ghanaian government, especially the Kufour regime, deserves some praise for how they have handled the African refugee issues to date. We as people of Ghana would not require less from any African nation or leader had we been in their shoes.

3. Notwithstanding, I think forcing them (refugees) to leave without preparation is unjust and unfair. It is true that these are citizens of Liberia and ought to go back home once the war is over; there is no justifiable reason why the Ghana government should be over-stretched to fend for them; besides, they are no more to be considered refugees if and when their nation is now being democratically governed; Yet, one thing both the UN and the Ghana government is not taking into consideration is the fact that these Liberians or most of these refugees were either forced out of their homes, have had their families killed and homes destroyed and or do not even have any families to go back to. They may have to start life anew.

4. Therefore to settle them with only $100 seems to be a pittance and it has the potential of creating more problems for these honorable citizens.

5. To use the peaceful demonstration, and of course, the only weapon these women have at their disposal to convict and sentence them is ridiculous and unfair. They are not CRIMINALS.

6. As a people, who believe that all men and women, irrespective of their background or social status, deserve equal justice and fair treatment by the law, we must not sit down unconcerned without raising concerns here.

7. There must be a better way to settle this matter; a long-term solution must be preferred over a wishy-washy one. What these women, and of course, the refugees in general need is not a handout but meaningful resettlement back in their country.

8. The UN and the Ghana government must rather work out something relevant and helpful for these refugees with the Liberian government. Don’t just give them $100 and expect these refugees to go to Liberia and get on with life as usual. How many days can $100 feed them; how many weeks will $100 pay for rent? Etc. Get real leadership.

9. Yes, some may want to argue that they don’t even need a penny from anyone and that they owe the UN instead. But I ask those who hold this view to ponder again. Put yourself in their shoes. What would you have done different??

The UN and or the Ghana government can do better than this. Somebody would have to intercede for these powerless women. The best solution here is to negotiate with the Liberian government to accept its 27,000 Liberians that are becoming a burden on the Ghana government. A false repatriation is not the answer. Thank God the years of conflict at home is over and the Liberian government would have to integrate these citizens in the life and economy of Liberia but it ought to be done right.