UN torture prevention body urges Ghana to establish preventive mechanism against torture

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture has encouraged Ghana to establish a National Preventive Mechanism against Torture. This effort is to ensure that persons deprived of liberty are not at risk of ill-treatment.

"Ghana ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in 2016 and should have established its NPM by the end of 2017. It has not yet done so, and we hope our visit will encourage it to do so through an open, transparent and inclusive process", Sir Malcolm Evans, who led the four-member delegation said in a statement.

"It is clear that there is much to be done to ensure that those deprived of liberty are not at risk of ill-treatment and that the conditions in which they are held are appropriate. The problem of overcrowding is well known and widely acknowledged: our visit has been able to highlight some of the practical consequences of this to those who are responsible. We hope that swift and effective action will now be taken and we look forward to continuing what has been a constructive set of discussions so far," Evans cited, as reported by Graphic Online.

The United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture visited Ghana from May 26 to June 1 this year. During that time, it examined the treatment of people deprived of their liberty and the safeguards in place for their protection against torture and ill-treatment, including advising the government of Ghana on establishing a National Preventive Mechanism.

The delegation visited police stations, prisons, a juvenile correctional facility, psychiatric hospitals, and medical services provided by prayer camps, conducting confidential interviews with both detainees and staff members. The delegation held meetings with Members of Parliament, Government officials, the Supreme Court, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, professional associations and civil society representatives.

The objective of visiting those venues was to advise on the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism against Torture (NPM), examine the treatment of people deprived of their liberty and the safeguards in place for their protection against torture and ill-treatment.

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