The Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) have begun a Nationwide Stakeholders Consultative Workshop on the Development of a National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights in Ghana.
Ghana faces serious business and human rights challenges, including forced labour and trafficking, health, safety and environmental abuses linked to the gold mining industry and child labour, especially in the country’s large cocoa industry and, poor wages among others.
Addressing the media during the Eastern Regional Stakeholders Consultative Workshop in Koforidua, Mr Clement Kadogbe, in charge of Business and Human Rights at CHRAJ Head Office said the office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice together with CHRAJ has set up an 18 member committee to get stakeholders recommendations into the drafted National Action Plan.
According to him, the stakeholder’s engagement is also to publicly sensitize and educate businesses of their human rights obligations since more often business owners ignore these obligations and act wrongfully against their employers to an extent of sacking employers unexpectedly and in many other instances.
Additionally, he said the majority of employers lack knowledge concerning the right institutions they ought to seek redress anytime their rights are being violated upon in their workplaces therefore the National Action Plan when duly instituted will ensure a responsible way of doing business in Ghana.
On the other hand, the Chief State Attorney to the Attorney-General who doubles as the Chairperson of the National Action Plan Committee, Mrs Silvia Adusu, explained that the responsibility of the new National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights is to create the rules, viable environment for businesses and for all individuals in the business sector and to protect their human right.
She also noted that the sensitization workshop will be extended to the private sector.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah
