The Application and Practice of International Refugee Laws in Ghana: A Case Study of Egyeikrom Refugee Camp

Abstract

As a signatory of the 1951 United Nations (UN) Convention on the Status and Rights of Refuges and the AU 1969 Refugee Convention, Ghana is obliged by international law and convention to ensure and guarantee the basic rights of refugees in Egyeikrom Refugee camps. These basic rights include, but not limited to: the right to public education, right to efficient health care services, access and availability of food, shelter, safe and good drinking water, security and the right to a clean and healthy environment. The purpose of the research was to find out what constitute the implementation gaps as far as guaranteeing the basic rights of refugees in Egyeikrom camp is concerned. The study adopted the case study approach and used both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. The qualitative methods used were interviews, focused group discussions, and personal observation. A questionnaire was also used to solicit the view of 336 respondents and the data was analyzed using NVivo and the Statistical Package for Social Science software. The findings from the study revealed that the main implementation gap in Egyeikrom Refugee camp as far as ensuring the rights of refugees are concerned were in the areas of educational rights, shelter, security and environmental conditions in the camp. It is therefore recommended that the UNHCR, Ghana government and NGOs should collaborate together to find lasting solutions to these problems through adequate funding in providing habitable facilities, better security and education in the refugee camp.