Crime Check Foundation has expressed disappointment over lack of proper education and sensitisation on Assembly by-laws which has made residents unaware of laws regulating their activities.
It stated that the long term effects of the situation was potential increase in poverty of the citizenry and should not be allowed to persist.
“However, while citizens’ knowledge of bye-laws and other relevant legal provisions are vital for compliance, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) are hardly able to provide education and sensitisation on the laws for their residents,” the Foundation lamented.
Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, Executive Director of CCF, expressed the sentiments at findings from a project, ‘Decriminalising Vagrancy Laws and Advocacy (DVLA) in Accra, initiated as result of harsh Assembly bye-laws that target poor and vulnerable in society.
As part of findings from the project funded by Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), the Foundation has established lack of proper education and sensitisation on Assembly by-laws lead to the poor and vulnerable thrown into prisons because they cannot afford to pay fines after flouting laws.
Section 181 of the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936) of the 1992 Constitution gives power to MMDAs to enact bye-laws for local jurisdictions which cover licenses for business operations, sanitation, fees, levies, offences, as well as punishments for violating any of them.
MrKwarteng disclosed that1200 poor and vulnerable had been educated and sensitised on their rights, responsibilities and advocated reforms in laws targeting petty offenders to know, claim and exercise them.
“Interestingly, some elected assembly members and traditional authorities where DVLA projects have been implemented are not aware of by-laws and facilitation through the partnership are first-ever for the assemblies.
“The overall effect is poor and vulnerable citizens become victims of the laws because they lack knowledge of those that affect their lives as basic human rights at community level by making provisions of the laws available,” Mr Kwarteng assured.
He tasked the assemblies to consider knowledge of citizens on bye-laws because part of the problem was key local actors were unable to support and assist education and sensitisation on their bye-laws.
Mr Kwarteng bemoaned continuous harassment of poor and vulnerable by MMDAs which had woefully failed to provide social amenities for them but usually quick to punish those who flout bye-laws buy, however, pointed out the project was not inciting residents against MMDAs.-3news.com
