Public debate on human rights in Ghana has become increasingly polarised.
Few issues have generated as much controversy as calls by human rights advocates, myself included and the great Akoto Ampaw (Shee She) of blessed memory, have all come under attack by simply advocating equality and justice for all, irrespective of social, political, religious or gender affiliation.
Such human rights advocacy that we engage in is often dismissed as a foreign agenda or a Western attempt to impose alien values on Ghanaian society.
This unfair criticism raises an important question that deserves careful reflection: If ideas should be rejected simply because they originated elsewhere, why does that principle apply only to certain human rights and not to the many other institutions, beliefs and freedoms that Ghanaians have enthusiastically embraced?
The answer lies in understanding what human rights truly are.
Human rights are not Western rights.
They are universal rights available to everyone on earth simply by reason of their humanity.
The framers of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution recognised this fundamental truth. Chapter 5, which guarantees fundamental human rights and freedom, does not confer rights only on Christians, Muslims, traditionalists, political majorities or socially acceptable groups.
It guarantees rights to everyone. Article 12 declares the fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution “shall be respected and upheld by all organs of government and, where applicable, by all natural and legal persons”.
Article 17 guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination.
Article 21 protects freedoms of expression, association, assembly, movement, religion and conscience. Articles 14 and 19 safeguard personal liberty and the right to fair trial.
These constitutional guarantees did not arise out of a vacuum nor were they occasioned by accident.
They were inserted as an affirmation of Ghana’s commitment to the inherent dignity of every individual and the rule of law.
More importantly, Ghana did not adopt these principles under foreign coercion.
As a sovereign nation, Ghana freely chose to incorporate them into the Constitution and has voluntarily ratified major international instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
These instruments were drafted not only by Western nations but with the participation of countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
They represent a global consensus born from humanity’s determination never again to permit widespread abuses of human dignity as unfolded in the run-up and during the Second World War.
Ironically, many of those who reject certain human rights as ‘Western’ rarely apply the same standard to other aspects of Ghanaian life.
Our constitutional democracy traces much of its institutional development to Anglo-American societies.
Our parliament, cabinet system, independent judiciary and common law tradition are products of historical development outside Ghana.
Our courts as well as parliament conduct business in the English language.
Lawyers wear wigs and gowns inherited from the English legal tradition.
Universities follow educational models developed abroad.
Banking, insurance, commercial law, aviation, modern medicine and digital technologies all have foreign origins.
Even our most widely practised religions originated elsewhere.
Christianity came to Ghana through European missionaries.
I am a Catholic and the first Catholic Church, where I worship every time I happen to be in my hometown, Elmina, was built by European missionaries.
Islam spread to West Africa through Arab traders and scholars. Today, both religions are woven into the fabric of Ghanaian society.
No serious person, including the Clergy who demonise and shun LGBTQ+ people, argue that they should be rejected because they are foreign.
Our everyday lives are equally shaped by ideas and innovations from around the world.
We use smartphones designed and built abroad, drive imported vehicles, watch and support European sporting teams, enjoy foreign movies and communicate through global social media platforms.
The point here is that no one country or people is the repository of ideas.
Culture has never been static.
Every civilisation has grown through the exchange of ideas, common knowledge and beliefs. Ghana itself is a product of centuries of interaction with other peoples and cultures.
Why then should only certain rights be singled out as unacceptable because they are allegedly Western?
The better question is whether a particular principle promotes justice, human dignity and the common good.
That is the proper test.
Human rights are founded on the simple but profound idea that every human being possesses inherent worth.
This idea is not exclusively Western.
