During a recent forum organised by VOWACGhana (Voices of Women and Children with Disabilities in Ghana) to discuss UN recommendations on disability rights, a senior official from the Judicial Service challenged the disability community to increase their engagement with the justice system.
The forum, held on September 9, 2025, brought together stakeholders to assess Ghana’s progress in fulfilling its obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and to identify concrete steps for advancing the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Madam Gifty Y. Preko Nyarko, Deputy Director of Judicial Reforms and Projects, passionately argued that the disability community needs to be more proactive in bringing their concerns and needs to the attention of the Judicial Service.
“I think we’re one of the institutions that you have not dealt kindly with,” she stated. “You expect so much from us, yet you give us so little to work with.”
Madam Preko Nyarko highlighted the challenges the Judicial Service faces in obtaining information about the specific needs and experiences of persons with disabilities within the justice system.
She explained that requests sent to courts across the country seeking information on people with disabilities who have encountered the courts often go unanswered.
“You are supposed to give me that information because you know your people who have had contacts with the justice system,” she asserted. “If we don’t know them, we can’t help them.”
Acknowledging the diverse needs of individuals with different types of disabilities, Madam Preko Nyarko emphasised the importance of understanding those specific challenges to provide appropriate solutions.
“I have learned today that every disability has its own peculiar nature and peculiar solutions that must be provided. So if we don’t know them, we can’t categorise them, we can’t attend to their needs,” she said.
Madam Preko Nyarko extended an open invitation to the disability community to collaborate with the Judicial Service.
“Our doors are open,” she declared. “I am the director of judicial reforms and projects, and this is dear to my heart as someone who has a personal experience with a disability, having had an accident a few years ago. I would love to work with you to bring up proposals that can earn us something. If even we have one specialised disability court as a pilot, we can make a case. And that court must be resourced with all accessibility features to make it accessible to persons with all types of disabilities.”
Recognising existing barriers to access to justice, including lack of awareness, communication barriers, high costs, lack of training in disability rights, and lack of reasonable accommodation, Madam Preko Nyarko reiterated that the Judicial Service cannot address these challenges without the active participation of the disability community.
“We can’t give what you don’t give us,” she concluded. “I can see you’re talking, but we’re not hearing because you’re far away from us. When you’re close, even when you’re silent, we can feel your energy. Please come, and let’s do much of the talking.
SOURCE: DisabilityNewsGH.com