Human rights in Ghana


Human rights are "rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled". Proponents of the concept usually assert that everyone is endowed with certain entitlements merely by reason of being human.
Ghana is a sovereign country in West Africa. It was a British colony until the 6 March 1957 when it became the first country south of the Sahara to gain independence.

LGBT rights

LGBT rights in Ghana are heavily suppressed. Physical and violent attacks against homosexual people are common, often encouraged by the media and religious and political leaders. Reports of young gay men being kicked out of their homes are also common. Despite the Constitution guaranteeing a right to freedom of speech, of expression and of assembly to Ghanaian citizens, these fundamental rights are actively denied to LGBT people, especially for those who are homosexual.

Religious freedom

Freedom of the press

Although the constitution and law provide for freedom of speech and press, the government sometimes restricts those rights. The police arbitrarily arrest and detain journalists. Some journalists practice self-censorship. The constitution prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy, family, home, or correspondence, and the government respects these prohibitions in practice.
In 2002 the government of Ghana censored Internet media coverage of tribal violence in Northern Ghana.

Prison conditions

Squalid conditions, poor food and overcrowding in Ghana's prisons were called "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment," by the UN in 2013. The extent of prison overcrowding is estimated to be higher than the government's official figures. Prison authorities use a system where inmates known as "black coats" whip other misbehaving prisoners with canes.

Historical situation

The following chart shows Ghana's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "most free" and 7 is "least free".
YearPolitical RightsCivil LibertiesStatusPresident
197266Not FreeKofi Abrefa Busia
197376Not FreeIgnatius Kutu Acheampong
197475Not FreeIgnatius Kutu Acheampong
197575Not FreeIgnatius Kutu Acheampong
197675Not FreeIgnatius Kutu Acheampong
197765 Partly Free Ignatius Kutu Acheampong
197854Partly FreeIgnatius Kutu Acheampong
197944Partly FreeFred Akuffo
198023FreeHilla Limann
198165Not FreeHilla Limann
198265Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198365Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198476Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198576Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198676Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198776Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198866Not FreeJerry Rawlings
198965Not FreeJerry Rawlings
199065Not FreeJerry Rawlings
199166Not FreeJerry Rawlings
199255Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199354Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199454Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199544Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199634Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199733Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199833Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
199933Partly FreeJerry Rawlings
200023FreeJerry Rawlings
200123FreeJerry Rawlings
200223FreeJohn Kufuor
200322FreeJohn Kufuor
200422FreeJohn Kufuor
200512FreeJohn Kufuor
200612FreeJohn Kufuor
200712FreeJohn Kufuor
200812FreeJohn Kufuor
200912FreeJohn Kufuor
201012FreeJohn Atta Mills
201112FreeJohn Atta Mills
201212FreeJohn Atta Mills
201312FreeJohn Dramani Mahama

International treaties

Ghana's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows: