The Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), with support from Oxfam in Ghana, has launched a national whistleblower portal for human rights reporting, with the aim of promoting rule of law and accountability.
Dubbed ‘CEPIL’s “Whistleblower Portal for Human Rights Reporting,” this digital platform provides a safe and confidential channel through which individuals and communities can report human rights violations and also seek redress.
The launch was attended by representatives from regulatory institutions such as the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), and Lands Commission, as well as civil society organisations (CSOs), community members affected by mining, security agencies, persons with disabilities (PWDs), the media, and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
It was themed: “Strengthening Access to Justice Through Digital Accountability Mechanisms.”
Launching the digital portal in Goaso in the Ahafo Region on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, the Executive Director of CEPIL, Mr. Augustine Niber, explained that the initiative sought to empower marginalised groups, including PWDs, to report violations without fear, stigma, or barriers of distance.
He noted that CEPIL had identified several barriers such as distance, stigma, fear of retaliation, and limited access to legal services often prevented vulnerable and marginalised individuals from seeking redress.
“The portal is designed to name and shame institutions and individuals as well as intensify advocacy on reporting human rights violations,” the Executive Director of CEPIL averred.
He indicated that most of the cases of human rights violations were under reported because of the barriers, adding that CEPIL launched the tool to address the systemic constraints.
“We have engaged in this business for over 25 years and in the process of our engagement, we have realised violations of the rights of vulnerable and marginalised individuals in the country with most of them not having the voice to either represent or bring out issues of violations,” he said.
According to Mr. Niber, the portal will have a stopgap measure that will assess the reports coming through it and forward them to the appropriate institutions to deal with them.
CEPIL’s Programmes Officer, Naa Dedei Ayerson, guided participants on accessing the portal, assuring that all human rights violation reports submitted through the digital platform would be treated with strict confidentiality.
“Our lawyers will review, validate, and act on these reports, reaching out to filers for further clarification if needed,” she explained.
To access the portal, she directed users to visit the whistleblower link: https://whistleblower.cepil.org.gh, embedded in CEPIL’s webpage, and click on it.
She went on to outline the required information for filing a report, which includes:
the person’s name (optional), phone number, email address, date and location of the incident, a detailed description, and supporting documents.
She added that the portal is also linked to a CEPIL WhatsApp number, 0256021316, to make reporting more user-friendly.
The participants shared their personal experiences of human rights violations and highlighted systemic barriers that hinder community members, particularly those in mining areas, from reporting these incidents.
A human rights defender in Kenyasi and member of Wacam, a community-based NGO, Abdellah, shared his concerns about living in a community where Newmont Ghana Gold Limited operates.
“As a resident of Kenyasi in Ahafo, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges we face,” he said.
“When rights of community people are violated, they often don’t know where to seek justice due to fear of the company. Accessing legal aid is also a struggle because community members are often stereotyped as uneducated farmers, leading to contempt and marginalisation,” Abdellah explained.
Adu Yaw, a member of the Concerned Farmers Association-Terchire, believes that community members struggle to report human rights violations because regulatory institutions like the EPA and Minerals Commission often prioritise the interests of multinational companies over those of local communities, even when the companies are at fault.
Several participants echoed similar sentiments, highlighting fear of reprisal, lack of feedback from authorities, and complicity from traditional authorities and security agencies as significant barriers that prevent individuals from reporting human rights violations.
Story By: Dennis Ato Keelson
