GSS: 69.9% Of Adults Believe Traditional Justice System “Effectively” Protects Rights
The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) has found that many Ghanaians trust religious and traditional justice systems relative to the court system.
The service says this is according to the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS).
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has defined the traditional and indigenous systems of justice as the types of justice systems that exist at the local or community level which have not been set up by the State.
The United Nations (UN) sees it as a system of justice that usually follows customary law or an uncodified body of rules of behaviour, enforced by sanctions, varying over time.
“Findings from the 2021 Ghana Integrity of Public Services Survey (GIPSS) reveal that a greater proportion of adults in Ghana have more confidence in religious and traditional justice systems relative to the formal one”, the GSS said.
The GSS notes that “Seven in every 10 (69.9%) adults hold the view that the religious and traditional leaders’ system effectively protects the rights of every citizen.”
Meanwhile, 59.1% of Ghanaian adults have confidence in the formal justice system, 10.8 percentage points lower than those who believe in the traditional justice system.
The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched the Corruption in Ghana: People’s Experiences and Views Report in July this year.
It ranked prosecutors, judges or magistrates 7 among 23 public officials in the prevalence of bribery.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini
