Human Rights Reporters Ghana, ACAT demand justice for Annor Adjaye students mercilessly flogged by teachers

The Human Rights Reporters Ghana (HRRG) and the Action by Christians Against Torture (ACAT) Ghana in a joint statement released on Sunday June 26, and copied to the press have unequivocally demanded justice for the students of the Annor Adjaye SHS located at Ezilibo in Jomoro district of the Western Region of Ghana.

This comes in support of the 2022 UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.

On May 8, 2022 the HRRG broke the news that some teachers numbering 7 of the above mentioned school mercilessly flogged nineteen (19) final-year-students for being late for the early morning Sunday church service.

The Western Regional Education Director, Felicia Okai, in an interview on Accra based Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo Morning Show on Tuesday May 10, categorically stated that the teachers who misconducted themselves by perpetrating mayhem on the unfortunate students would be punished for breaking the laws.

“The fact that they have broken the laws there would be repercussions for that. They had no right to treat the children like that. Be assured that they would be duly punished.”

According to her, the teachers had no right by inflicting wounds on the students with canes.

As far as the Ghana Education Service is concerned, canning as a form of punishment has been banned. Each term, reminders are being sent to various second cycle schools across the country to avoid using canes on students as forms of punishment.

But no teacher has been punished since the Western Regional Education Director granted the interview after the unfortunate incident occurred at the Annor Adjaye Senior High School in the Jomoro Municipality.

It is in this light that the HRRG and ACAT Ghana are passionately adding their voices to calls that the perpetrators should not be spared.

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is a day set aside by the United Nations globally and annually on June 26, to speak out against the crime of torture and to honour and support victims and survivors throughout the world.

In commemoration of this year’s International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the HRRG together with ACAT Ghana have also appealed to the authorities to be quick in arresting culprits of torture on any Ghanaian irrespective of his or her affiliation.

“We call on the Ghana government and state institutions to be swift in apprehending perpetrators of torture on any citizen or persons residing in this country irrespective of their religion, race, ethnic group, etc.”

The HRRG and ACAT Ghana in their statement maintained, “like a vibrant rights organizations operating in Ghana and beyond, we remain absolute in our outright condemnation of the use torture and other inhumane, degrading treatments of persons which goes against the enjoyment and fulfillment of their freedom and fundamental human rights ”.

Source:Human Rights Reporters Ghana