Last year, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) received a total of 10,525 complaints, with children’s rights cases ranking highest at 3,509 complaints.
These cases, falling under the human rights mandate of the commission, included issues such as failure to pay maintenance, lack of basic necessities like food and shelter, inhuman treatment, and early or forced marriages.
Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mercy Larbi, revealed that the commission was able to resolve 9,915 of the total complaints, representing nearly 94% resolution rate. This figure marked a slight decrease of 0.5% from the 10,574 complaints received in 2022.
In terms of CHRAJ's mandates, the human rights mandate received the highest number of complaints, encompassing areas like children's rights, women's rights, socio-economic and cultural rights, civil and political rights, and rights of people living with disabilities and migrant rights. This mandate recorded 10,156 complaints, compared to 9,909 in 2022, 8,421 in 2021, and 8,379 in 2019.
Additionally, there were 332 complaints under the administrative justice mandate, covering issues such as premature retirement, wrongful termination of appointments, and unlawful dismissals. The anti-corruption mandate received 37 complaints related to extortion, conflict of interest, abuse of office, and corrupt practices.
Ms. Larbi emphasized the importance of addressing the high number of children's rights complaints, stating that it indicated widespread violations of children's rights in the country. She called on parents to fulfill their responsibilities towards their children and ensure they are provided with basic needs.
Regarding human rights complaints, Ms. Larbi noted that the trend showed progress in the country, indicating that people were more aware of their rights and where to seek redress when violated. She highlighted the role of CHRAJ in providing a platform for redress and emphasized the need for public education on human rights.
The report on these complaints will be submitted to parliament for review and potential legislative reforms. CHRAJ intends to intensify its human rights education efforts to empower the public with knowledge about their rights and how to seek redress when violated.
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Mercy Larbi, Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ