A/HRC/37/7
21.
The judiciary had established dedicated Family Tribunal and Gender-based Violence
courts to facilitate determination of gender-based violence cases. Currently, there were 4
specialized courts; the number would be increased to 11 in 2018.
22.
The Office of the Attorney-General would continue working with the Domestic
Violence and Victims Support Unit and the judiciary to ensure prosecution and adjudication
of reported domestic violence cases.
23.
The Ghana Education Service, through the Child Friendly School Programme, had
developed a professional code of conduct for teachers, which defined physical violence as
including corporal punishment. Under the code, teachers were prohibited from inflicting
any form of corporal punishment on a child.
24.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection had developed a child and
family welfare policy to eliminate corporal punishment and other forms of abuse against
children, both at home and in school. Key interventions under the policy included
strengthening community partnership and collaboration with chiefs, queen mothers,
community leaders, and religious and other faith-based organizations.
25.
In 2016, the Government had introduced the Justice for Children Policy to protect
the rights of juvenile offenders, victims and witnesses. The policy was aimed at protecting
children’s rights in the justice system.
26.
Regarding child labour, Ghana had recently undergone peer review under the
auspices of the Economic Community of West African States. The Government had
committed to taking appropriate steps to address the existing gaps in its National Plan of
Action on Child Labour, and more than 2,000 children had been rescued from working in
the mining industry in 2017 alone. Other similar special operations by the police were
under way to rescue victims of child labour and to bring to justice persons who condoned
that practice.
27.
Following the implementation of free compulsory universal basic education for all
children of school age, in September 2017 the Ministry of Education had begun to
implement a free senior high school education policy. It aimed at making secondary school
education accessible to all Ghanaians and at ensuring that senior high school students
stayed in school and completed their studies, as a tool for economic development and
growth. Under the policy, 354,000 students had been placed in senior high schools, raising
the transition rate from junior high to senior high school from 67 to 76 per cent in 2017.
28.
The passage of the Right to Information Bill ranked high on the legislative agenda of
the Attorney-General. It was expected to be placed before Parliament for passage into law
before the end of the tenure of the current Parliament.
29.
At its second review in 2012, Ghana had accepted a recommendation to monitor the
application of customary laws with a view to ensuring that traditional practices were
aligned with its international human rights obligations. The Bonyase witch camp in the
Northern Region had been closed in December 2014 and the victims of abuses suffered in
the camp had been provided with humanitarian assistance, including reintegration into the
community of their choice.
30.
In February 2016, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection had
launched a national project to end child marriage. The Ministry was in the process of
implementing a national strategic framework for the prevention of early, forced and child
marriage.
31.
A discrimination reporting system had been established in 2013. It was aimed at
providing remedies for vulnerable groups, such as people living with HIV/AIDS, female
sex workers, men who had sex with men, and people who injected drugs.
32.
Currently, civil society organizations and the mass media were being utilized to raise
awareness about stigmatization. The Ghana AIDS Commission, as part of its 2018
workplan, intended to intensify dissemination of the Ghana AIDS Commission Act, 2016,
particularly the sections dealing with non-discrimination. The Act provided for the right to
education for all, including women and children infected with HIV and affected by AIDS.
It also provided for the establishment of a legal and ethics committee with the mandate to
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