@Peter Donkor, it should firtsly be voluntarily commitment by a state to implement human rights at a national level. This happens by signing treaties with human rights conventions (in an international level). These human rights agreements, inspire each state to apply these individual rights into national constitutions.

Governments can ensure the protection of civil liberties and human rights in several ways:

In summary, governments can ensure the protection of civil liberties and human rights by establishing clear legal frameworks, promoting education and awareness-raising, ensuring an independent judicial system, establishing oversight mechanisms, and adhering to international human rights standards.

Civil rights must be enshrined in the constitution and there must be agencies responsible for monitoring the breach of these rights. More often than not monitoring is weak as it requires resources to effect. We thus end up with effective laws on paper which are not normally enforced.

An additional and interesting issue that I have come across in my some of my readings is where citizens in a jurisdiction are not willing to enforce these rights because of cultural norms. The laws may then be redundant and not actively enforced. It is important to determine the sociological impact of particular laws on a group of people that the laws are being introduced to, to ensure that they are in line with the norms of that particular society. Without this, the laws become redundant. Countries that have had a colonial experience normally see this in their law Books- some of the laws are used while others are ignored by the public altogether because they lack cultural significance. Enforcement also depends on education and how litigious the particular society is. Where literacy levels are high and citizens view their rights positively and they are willing to enforce them then enforcement by an agency will not be necessary as compared to where literacy levels are low and tied to a non-litigious society. The price of litigation may also be an impediment to enforcing effective civil rights. People know their rights are infringed but cannot bring and action because it may cost too much to do so.

the primary focus for the promotion and protection of human rights is at the national level and therefore it is the primary responsibility of States to ensure that human rights are promoted, protected and fulfilled.

Governments can take several measures to ensure the protection of civil liberties and human rights. Establish and enforce laws and policies that protect civil liberties and human rights: Governments should create laws and policies that protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of citizens. They should also enforce these laws and policies consistently and fairly. Create an independent judiciary: Governments should establish an independent judiciary that is free from political influence. This can help ensure that laws are interpreted and applied fairly and that citizens have access to a fair trial. Promote transparency and accountability: Governments should be transparent about their actions and decisions, especially those that may impact civil liberties and human rights. They should also be accountable for their actions and be willing to listen to feedback and criticism from citizens and civil society groups. Protect freedom of expression and the press: Governments should protect the freedom of expression and the press, as these are essential for a healthy democracy. This includes protecting the right to criticize the government and to access information. Protect marginalized groups: Governments should take steps to protect marginalized groups, including minorities, women, children, and people with disabilities. This can involve implementing affirmative action policies and providing resources and support to help these groups overcome systemic barriers. Ensure privacy protections: Governments should ensure that citizens have a reasonable expectation of privacy and that their personal data is protected. This can involve implementing data protection laws and regulations and ensuring that law enforcement agencies are subject to strict oversight. Engage with civil society: Governments should engage with civil society groups, including human rights organizations and advocacy groups, to understand their concerns and perspectives. This can help ensure that government policies and actions take into account the needs and concerns of all citizens.

Peter Donkor, governments firstly can ensure the protection of civil liberties and human rights without violating them. This means that governments have a duty to refrain from breaking the law. Second, because these rights are also violated in horizontal relations: individual/group-individual, governments should act and support efforts to build a culture of human rights.

Dear Peter, So far, the answers you are getting are the standard rhetoric of governments and international organizations that think there is some kind of magic constitution or law or education that leads to human rights and that there is one system that fits all groups without recognizing that human rights are actually at two levels; cultural/ethnic level of rights (e.g., the Ashanti in Ghana) and then individual rights. The reality is that "governments" cannot and do not assure human rights because they and the people who generally promote their power are those who violate those rights for the benefit of particular groups. There is a rhetioric that the U.N. and governments create about how they are "duty bearers" and how they can create rights but it is self-serving and self-interested. If you want to try to improve situations on rights, you have to start with the measurements of rights and consider who the violators are and what power and interests they have that allow them to violate rights of those who are the victims and you also have to consider what makes individual cultures sustainable so that those cultures will survive in their environments. Governments and rights are a reflection of existing realities of political/economic/military power that exists in a "political and legal culture" that exists for each ethnic group and then in general for a country with multiple groups (like Ghana). If you want to change that, you have to change the legal culture and usually cultures only change when forced to change. What you have to do is change the balance of power between the victims and the perpetrators/violators by changing incentives.

You are in Ghana and there are many different cultures, each with different systems of power that fit their environments and different definitions of rights that best protect that environment and the group. Then, at the national level, what will protect the groups is a system that best balances those powers. So your questions on rights are going to be about the chieftancies and whether they are sustainable and just and how they traditionally see rights, and then the national system of balancing groups from the coast, from the north and so on.

I have worked with the UN and rights groups and as a human rights lawyer globally, including in Ghana to try to create a model for public administration education, and here are some general articles of mine that I recommend that you can find on ResearchGate:

"Measuring 'Progress' and 'Regress' in Human Rights'

"Predicting Political Systems...."

"Law and Development" (context of study of these questions)

and a piece on model amendments to constitutions to empower citizens.

I hope this helps.

Best, David Lempert, Ph.D., J.D., M.B.A., E.D. (Hon.)

You need to answer next questions (to get a decision):

1. what is the civil liberties as a subject that need to be protected?

2. Why the civil liberties need to be protected?

3. What is the most fear or treat to the civil liberties?

All the answers commit a Constituion of the state.

It begins with the government itself believing in human rights and guaranteeing intellectual, scientific, religious and ideological freedom, then it begins with local legal legislation while monitoring the work of its executive bodies.

This is a catch-22 because governments and people have too often opposite interests. David Lempert presented the problem very well. In my opinion, the only solution that will one day really work is giving power to the people, or better said, giving power to each individual because only in this case the interests of each individual will be protected. Ultimately it will require equal legislative, judicial, and executive powers in the hand of each individual. I call it democratic anarchy.

Here is a simple example of how it may work. Everyone should get equal rights to evaluate others for whatever they do. Each positive evaluation should bring a small award of, let's say, one dollar to the positively assessed person, and each negative assessment should punish a person with one dollar. Let everyone have the equal right to give three evaluations monthly. It will be enough to make everyone, from the bottom to the top, please others and avoid hurting them. This would create a good society unconditionally.

Unfortunately, equal human rights cannot be established soon. There are many obstacles. For example, authorities have prevented people from believing in the good intentions of others. When leaders oppress people, then people tend to oppress those weaker than them, forming an oppressive society. It starts in school and continues through work practically all of life. Social improvement will begin when people become confident in accepting equal human rights. Then they will change the foundation of society and open the door to a bright future for humankind.