The Center for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO), has organised a workshop to sensitise stakeholders on available legal protection protocols in the pursuit of justice and human rights advocacy.

The workshop, organised with support from Oxfam Ghana, in Takoradi, brought together media practitioners, traditional and religious leaders, Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), and representatives from CSOs among other interest groups.

It was aimed at building the capacity of participants on legal protection protocols and safeguard measures that they could rely on to reduce vulnerability, threats and risks associated with their advocacy for human rights and justice.

Mr Alhassan Iddrisu, a Lawyer with CIPEL, speaking at the engagement, said it was imperative to arm key stakeholders with the necessary knowledge to adapt to changing situations and general preparedness mechanisms to address any emerging threats or risks to their human rights advocacy work.

He said: ‘As far as this training i
s concerned, we have realised that human rights defenders are at risk as a result of their influencing and advocacy work, they do, and so we saw the need to provide safeguards and legal protection mechanisms for them in the line of their duties.’

According to him, data from the Office of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations (UN) had showed that over 1,000 human rights activists have been killed within the past 10 years in the pursuit of justice.

Mr Iddrisu stated that the situation called for the need for stakeholders to take keen interest in the welfare of human rights activists and protect them from all activities that threatened their safety.

As part of efforts towards ensuring stronger legal protection and safeguards for human rights advocates, the CEPIL, in partnership with Oxfam in Ghana, has developed a manual that sought to promote advocacy for human rights, and policy influencing.

Source: Ghana News Agency