By Alex Boye
Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, Vice-Chair of Parliament’s Human Rights Committee and Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, has called on African countries to intensify efforts to educate citizens on human rights and empower them to understand and defend their fundamental freedoms.
Speaking after leading members of the committee to a conference in The Gambia, Dr. Agyemang stressed that human rights awareness remained critical to addressing many of the continent’s social and developmental challenges.
According to him, many violations of human rights often go unnoticed because citizens are unaware of their rights and the responsibilities of governments to protect them.
“It is important that we educate people on human rights and human rights violations. People need to know their rights so they can demand accountability and justice where necessary,” he said.
Dr. Agyemang noted that issues such as preventable diseases, poor healthcare access, unsafe roads, and inadequate water supply should also be viewed through a human rights lens.
“When a child dies from a preventable disease, that is a human rights issue because every child has the right to live and should not die from illnesses that can be prevented,” he stated.
He further cited the struggles faced by rural women, saying situations where pregnant women travel long distances in search of water or face dangerous conditions reflect failures in ensuring basic human rights.
“When a pregnant woman has to walk long distances to fetch water and gets bitten by a snake, that is also a human rights issue because she is being denied access to quality roads and clean, accessible water,” he added.
Dr. Agyemang emphasized that education remains central to solving many human rights challenges and advocated the integration of human rights education into school curricula across Africa.
The MP proposed that human rights studies should be introduced at the basic, secondary, and tertiary education levels to help raise a generation that understands justice, equality, and civic responsibility.
He also urged institutions, including churches, marketplaces, community groups, and civil society organisations, to actively promote conversations around human rights.
Dr. Agyemang said that broadening public understanding of human rights would help strengthen democratic governance and improve the quality of life for citizens across the continent.
