The Commission, under its human rights mandate, has established a specialised unit called Special Groups Unit.

No specific budget for children’s rights. This is so because child rights issues have been embedded not only under the Commission’s human rights mandates but also, under its anti-corruption and Ombudsman mandates.

The CHRAJ engages with the ACERWC by participating in the Committee’s Ordinary Sessions (in both physical and virtual meetings), and other child rights and welfare-related issues. The Commission supports the work of the ACERWC. For instance, CHRAJ has been selected as one out of five (5) AU Member States to coordinate the implementation of the ACERWC’s project on Covid-19 project titled: The outbreak of COVID-19 and its impact on the rights and welfare of children with disabilities.38

CHRAJ has Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR) and prepared and submitted its second report to the ACHPR in 2020, after its initial report submitted in 2018.

• The Commission has established a human rights NGO forum with a secretariat.
• This is a platform for NGOs and CSOs whose area of operation is related to human rights to engage in quarterly meetings at the CHRAJ conference room for information sharing, training, encouraging collaboration and partnership toward advancing human rights.
• The Commission works closely with UNICEF and together the two institutions carried out a mapping exercise of institutions working on child protection in Ghana.

CHRAJ organises nationwide sensitisation and awareness programmes for basic and senior high schools on child rights and child protection issues. The Commission has established and manages human rights and integrity clubs in basic and senior high schools; and periodically hosts national residential camp meetings with human rights quiz competitions for patrons and school children to deepen knowledge and skills and share ideas towards creating a culture of human rights, ethics, and integrity in their respective schools. CHRAJ also opens its doors to all basic, and senior high schools, as well as tertiary institutions through study tours concerning the work of the Commission. This serves as a learning opportunity for pupils and students to interact with staff.

In Ghana, on child-related matters, the Commission collaborates with various entities on childrelated issues. It works closely with the Ghana Police Service and its specialised unit, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), to address human rights abuses and violence against women and children. The Commission, in the course of its investigations, refers criminal cases to the police for prosecution and follows up until their conclusion. The Commission also collaborates with the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice, providing inputs into drafting laws affecting children. In the area of public education, the Commission collaborates with the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE). Together, they promote human rights and civic responsibilities through educational initiatives in the country. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) plays a crucial role in hosting model children’s parliaments regularly , where topics affecting child rights and protection are discussed. Furthermore, the Commission engages with relevant ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), other state agencies and relevant stakeholders on policy formulation and reviews, and information sharing 28 regarding reporting under the UN’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and other reporting obligations of Ghana on child rights and protection at the regional level. The Commission also participates in child rights training and awareness creation initiatives with state institutions. It serves on various child protection committees with the government, other state bodies, UN and other development agencies, and relevant stakeholders on human rights programming. For instance, in accordance with SDG target 4.7, and under the Human Rights Education (HRE) project of the Danish Institute for Human Rights (DIHR), the Commission has since November 2020 been in engagement with relevant stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education to develop a national action plan for the implementation of Human Rights Education in the primary and secondary school systems in Ghana. This initiative is geared towards mainstreaming human rights into the school’s curriculum.

The Commission

• Is an active member of NANHRI, and the Commonwealth Forum of NHRIs
• Is the host country for the secretariat of the NANHRI-West Africa (NANHRIWA)
•  Participates in NANHRI and its sister NHRIs workshops, and conferences, and supports NANHRI by serving as host to conferences on some occasions.

CHRAJ’s Commissioner is the Vice Chair of NANHRI, the Chair of the Working Group of Agenda 2030 and the Africa Agenda 2063 and serves as the President of the NANHRI-WA.

Examples of activities:

•  The Secretariat of NANHRI-WA on behalf of NANHRI monitored the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Liberia in 2020.
•  Collaborated with NANHRI, to organize a regional high-level meeting in Accra, Ghana in October 2020.
•  Collaborates with NANHRI in the area of technical cooperation. It has been selected as one out of five (5) AU Member States under ACERWC Covid-19 project, to coordinate a targeted national assessment on the outbreak of COVID-19 and its impact on the rights and welfare of children with disabilities which is ongoing.
•  Organised a 3-day workshop for CHRAJ staff and selected institutions, in collaboration with NANHRI, on Litigation and Engagement with African Regional Human Rights Bodies.

CHRAJ monitors and reports on Ghana’s performance regarding fulfilment of its commitments towards implementation of the Charter. The Charter forms part of the core standards to guide investigations, mediations, public education, research, training, monitoring (including detention facilities for children), and reporting obligations of the Commission. CHRAJ observes and organizes programmes in collaboration with relevant stakeholders to commemorate regional and international days related to children. The Commission, through a press statement celebrated the 2021 Day of the African Child focusing on the challenges of Child, Early and Forced Marriages (CEFM) in Ghana. Currently, CHRAJ is conducting sensitization and awareness programmes in the northern region, aimed at abolishing child, early and forced marriage, corporal punishment, and children in mining activities. Child rights being central to the work of CHRAJ, the Commission engages with all the Aspirations of Agenda 2040 for Children, presenting a best practice example, and this has been captured in a case study below. The Commission has a decision-making power where it issues decisions on complaints which may not be reviewed by a court of law. The Commission also receives and investigates complaints, provides remedies, and conducts public education activities relating to the rights of the child in all its offices across the country.