Ghana: Information on whether there are areas of overlap between legislative law and traditional law, and if so, on which of the two is followed by the population, and on whether there is any state protection or redress regarding decisions handed down according to traditional law
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1995 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA20575.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information on whether there are areas of overlap between legislative law and traditional law, and if so, on which of the two is followed by the population, and on whether there is any state protection or redress regarding decisions handed down according to traditional law, 1 July 1995, GHA20575.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab9c54.html [accessed 6 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Specific information on the above-mentioned subjects is limited among the sources consulted by the DIRB. Nevertheless, the attached articles provide a broad overview of how the customary and legislative legal traditions interact in Ghanaian society, including the impact of social and legal traditions on Ghanaian women. For general information on the current legal system in Ghana, please consult the Contextual Information Package and the Human Rights Information Package on Ghana, which are available at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Attachments
Elias, T.O. 1977. The Judicial Process in Commonwealth Africa. Legon, Ghana: University of Ghana Legon, pp. 49-54, 59-78.
The International Lawyer [Dallas]. Summer 1992. Vol. 26, No. 2. Ernest K. Bankas. "Problems of Intestate Succession and the Conflict of Laws in Ghana," pp. 433-46, 485.
Journal of Family Law [Louisville]. November 1988. Michael D.A. Freeman. "Ghana: Legislation for Today," pp. 159-62.
Okali, Christine. 1983. Cocoa and Kinship in Ghana: The Matrilineal Akan of Ghana. London: Kegan Paul International, pp. 12-16, 99-142.
Oppong, Christine. 1981. Middle Class African Marriage: A Family Study of Ghanaian Senior Civil Servants. London: George Allen and Unwin, pp. 28-51.
Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society [Chicago]. Summer 1994. Vol. 19, No. 4. Rosemary Ofeibea Ofei-Aboagye. "Altering the Strands of the Fabric: A Preliminary Look at Domestic Violence in Ghana," pp. 924-38.
Additional Sources Consulted
Different Places, Different Voices: Gender and Development in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 1993.
Discrimination Against Women. 1989.
Indexed Media Review (IMR).
IWRAW to CEDAW Country Reports. 1993-1995.
Ours By Right: Women's Rights as Human Rights. 1993.
OVID - Humanities Index Database. 1983-1995
OVID - Index to Legal Periodicals Database. 1983-1994.
OVID - Social Sciences Index Database. 1983-1995.
Sisterhood is Global. 1984.
Women, Law and Development: Action for Change. 1990.
Women's Commission News. 1994.
Women's International Network News. 1993-1994.
Women's Lives and Public Policy: The International Experience. 1993.
The Women's Watch. 1994.
