Action Aid Ghana schools journalists on Human Rights reporting

Action Aid Ghana (AAG), a non-governmental organization, has organized a day’s workshop for journalists in Accra on Human Rights Based Approaches (HRBA) in an effort to sharpen their skills when reporting on issues pertaining to human rights.

A Human Rights-Based Approach to programming differs from the basic needs approach, in that it recognizes the existence of rights and also reinforces capacities of duty bearers (usually governments) to respect, protect and guarantee these rights.

Speaking at the programme, Mrs Rahinatu Fuseini, Impact Assessment and Shared Learning Coordinator, AAG, appealed to decision makers to include the less privileged and those in minority when taking decisions that might affect them directly.

"I will urge you the media not to only write on issues raised by duty bearers but also engage more those at the grassroots and the marginalised to find out from them as promises made to them by duty bearers are fulfilled," she said.

She said human rights could only be realized if people living in poverty especially received more education concerning their rights and are provided with all rights as enshrined in the constitution.

Mrs Fuseini cited accountability as one of the most powerful features of HRBA which required government, which is deemed as legal and principal duty bearer, to accept responsibility for the impact it has on people’s lives.

“Government which is the principal duty bearer should also cooperate with the citizenry by providing information, undertaking transparent processes and hearing people’s views and responding adequately to them,” she said.

She urged the media to put their political affiliations aside when reporting on issues pertaining human rights in an effort to hold political leaders accountable.

Mr. Washington Nuworkpor, Public Relations Officer, AAG, said poverty was not only about the lack of material goods and opportunities such as employment, but also lack of cultural identity, social belonging and freedom from fear of any kind.

“Even the inability to exert political influence, lack of organizational capacity and abuse of any kind could all be included in the definition of poverty,” he said.

Mr. Nuworkpor said poverty could be adequately tackled if duty bearers would set their priorities right on issues regarding the poor and ensuring that concrete poverty reduction targets were consistent with international human rights standards.

“Duty bearers should identify indicators and set benchmarks so that the progressive realization of economic and social rights could be clearly monitored,” he said.