Bolgatanga — IN ITS bid to have a successful crusade on human rights violations, the Head Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has directed its directors at the Regional, Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies to open up their doors to the media, whenever their investigations into human rights abuses take them to their offices.

The Upper East Regional Acting Director of CHRAJ, Mr. Kenneth Adabayire disclosed this in an interview with this paper after a media sensitization programme in Bolgatanga, which brought together over twenty journalists from both print and electronic media houses in the region.

The programme was aimed at strengthening the relationship between the commission and the media, and also to equip the regional and district staff of the commission on how they will carry out their functions of educating the public on human rights. He observed that journalists are the defenders of human rights, whilst the commission also has the responsibility of defending, promoting and enforcing human rights, and that there was the need for the two institutions to collaborate.

Mr. Adabayire explained that until now, the regional and district officers of the commission were not equipped or mandated to give out information to the media, without seeking the endorsement of the head office. The situation, he observed, did not afford journalists the opportunity to thoroughly investigate some of the human rights abuses.

Speaking on the topic; "Human Rights reporting-the challenges", Mr. Ato Amoaning-Annan, Associate Dean, Diploma Programme and Affairs, African University College of Communications (AUCC), mentioned inaccessibility to information, threats, attacks, bureaucracy, political setting and stonewalling as some of the obstacles that impede the work of journalists in Ghana and the world over.

He also enumerated some of the pitfalls as inadequate preparation, lack of skills, laziness, partnership, and carelessness, and therefore admonished all practicing journalists to be ethical in persuading the truth, keep facts straight, and only report base on authenticated sources of information needed to make well informed decisions.

Mr. Amoaning-Annan said there was the need for journalists to report on human rights abuses because the news media reach a large proportion of the population. This will also ensure that Ghanaians are informed about their rights and the rights of others.

Making a presentation on the powers and functions of CHRAJ, Mr. Samuel Bosompem, a legal Officer of the commission, said it has the power to investigate complaints concerning - violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, injustice, corruption, abuse of power and unfair treatment of any person by public officer in the exercise of his official duty.

CHRAJ may also apply to a family tribunal for a maintenance order for a child under 18 years, issue subpoenas requiring any person to appear before it, to require production of any document of record relevant to matter under investigation by the commission.