Bolgatanga, Feb. 26, GNA - The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in 2007 was able to mediate and dispose of 358 out of 407 cases reported to it in the Upper East Region. From January 2008 to September 2008, it resolved 206 cases out of the 262 reported cases leaving 56 cases outstanding. The Regional Director of CHRAJ, Mr Kenneth Adabayeri, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga on Wednesday. He said his outfit was able to resolve most of the cases through mediation and noted that through durbars, seminars, workshops and public education, people were beginning to know their rights, in relation to abuse.

This, he noted, had led to an increase in the number of cases reported to CHRAJ, where they were resolved amicably, mostly through mediation.

He indicated that most of the reported cases in the Region were child and wife maintenance, right to property, access to land by Women, Widowhood Rites among others.

Mr Adabayeri appealed to members of the public whose rights were infringed upon not to hesitate to report the case to CHARAJ for redress and said it was incumbent upon everybody to ensure that his fellow being human's rights were not abused.

"It is against the fundamental law for somebody's rights to be trampled upon by his fellow human being and go scout-free". He pointed out that one of the cardinal elements of democracy was the protection of fundamental human rights of citizens and appealed to community leaders, opinion leaders and assembly members to help protect the rights of individuals to promote democracy. Mr Adabayeri commended development partners including World Vision, Action Aid, CODAC, and Bongo Center for Human Rights that had been supportive to CHRAJ in the region in its operation. He appealed to Government to open up CHRAJ offices in the newly created districts.

Mr Adabyeri noted that many people as a result of the absence of CHRAJ offices in their area found it difficult to travel long distances to the regional capital to access justice. Mr Augustus Atibila, the Regional Public Education Officer of CHRAJ, said most of the harmful cultural practices including widowhood rites, female genital mutilation, tribal marks, elopement, betrothal that were predominant and were against the abuse of human rights had now been minimized due to the education programme that were embarked upon by his outfit.

He appealed to other development partners especially anti-human rights abuse organizations to support CHRAJ by collaborating with it in the discharge of it duties. Mr Atibila explained that government alone cannot fight against human rights abuses and called on all stakeholders to get involved in the protection of human rights.

He warned the public that CHRAJ would not relent in its efforts at fighting human rights abuses and appealed to the people to complement the efforts of CHRAJ.