Atebubu (B/A) Feb. 28, GNA - The Atebubu district office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) received a total of 985 cases from January to December 2005 as against 1,100 cases recorded in the previous year.

A total of 965 of the cases were resolved and 24 of them sent to the Atebubu District Magistrate Court for enforcement, while 10 cases were dismissed for lack of interest for investigations and four also dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Mr. Vasco Kwadwo Nyamekye, Atebubu district director of the Commission told Ghana News Agency in an interview at Atebubu that only 20 cases out of the 985 cases were still pending before the Commission. He said the number of cases received by the Commission during the year under review was a manifestation of the people's confidence in the work of the Commission.

The district CHRAJ director mentioned marriage matters, which recorded 301 cases, unfair treatment, 282 cases, child maintenance and spousal cases, 150 , 72 cases of marriage compensation, 64 cases received on tenancy matters, 50 cases for breach of contract, 44 cases recorded for paternity with deprivation of education recording four and child custody 30 cases.

Mr. Nyamekye said the Commission also recorded 19 cases of forced marriages, three cases of child abuse, six cases of banishment, 26 cases

of debt collection, destruction of property recorded five cases, nine tenancy cases, six cases of insurance, child labour recording one case with domestic violence two cases.

He said the Atebubu Office of the Commission had projected to continue its outreach educational programmes around the lake-side in Yeji in Pru district to clamp down on child trafficking and forced marriages, which were on the increase in the area. The CHRAJ director said the Commission had also drawn plans to reach out to some prayer camps and shrines in Pru and Atebubu districts to carry inspections and to educate the leaders and inmates about human rights issues.

Mr. Nyamekye appealed for more resources to enable the Commission to capture projected areas including Amantin, Yeji and other communities

across the lake-side area through vigorous public education.