Curbing mob justice in Ghana - The role of the media

Ghanaians have always been known to be peaceful and non-violent. These values have always been held in high esteem, even before colonisation began.

The shrieked voices and sympathy that Ghanaians show towards brutality is undoubtedly evidence that my people are very humane.

However, an incident that nearly cost me my life is enough reason to doubt if today’s Ghanaian still holds the values held in high esteem by those of yesterday.

It was a usual Saturday morning and I had decided to get a few foodstuffs for my home which was my normal routine. On arrival at the Makola market, I hurriedly pushed myself through the crowd, purchasing my items. Satisfied with the tomatoes I had bargained for from the first vendor, I moved to the next item on my list — spinach.

 I got to a vegetable stand only to notice everyone pointing fingers at me. A crowd was suddenly necklacing me.  “She is the one, she is the one who stole the tomatoes,” they exclaimed!

In a twinkle of an eye, I received two heavy slaps from one heavily-built man. “I didn’t steal anything,” I tried to defend myself. Someone pushed me from behind and I was in total disarray and shock. If not for the timely intervention of the woman I bought the tomatoes from, I would have been buried long ago.

Now, I ask, why has the Ghanaian society suddenly resorted to meting out instant justice or best known as mob justice to suspected criminals?

What is mob justice?

A mob justice can best be defined as the assembly of two or more persons, without authority of law, for the purpose of doing violence to a person or property of anyone supposed to have been guilty of a violation of the law, or for the purpose of exercising correctional powers or regulative powers over any person by violence.

Mob justice is a gross act of lawlessness and an abuse of democracy. It perpetuates a cycle of violence, creates a culture of fear and rejects personal accountability for violent acts that are committed in the name of justice.

The law and mob justice

The pinnacle of the values of any society is reflected in its justice system. Mob justice is frowned upon everywhere across the globe.

It is mostly practiced in African countries albeit the fact that it explicitly violates two articles in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights - Article 10: “Everyone is entitled in full equality a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charges against him.”

Article 11 (1) “Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to the law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.”

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana also states explicitly that “a person who has not been convicted of a criminal offence shall not be treated as a convicted person and shall be kept separately from convicted persons” (Chapter 15, Article 3).

Article 1 of Chapter 19 also states that “a person charged with a criminal offence shall be given a fair hearing within a reasonable time by a court of law.”

Why then has our culture tended to love vigilante justice when we have a constitution that governs our conducts as citizens of Ghana?

Why mob action?

Several reasons have accounted for people’s participation in this inhuman act of injustice. Many people have attributed it to the lack of confidence in the judicial system due to the intense bribery and corruption that has engulfed the system; little trust in the police; rage and anger, as well as delayed justice.

Even though, most often, social vices such as armed robbery, pick- pocketing and theft have left many people victims of mob justice, innocent people have also received their share of this instant justice.

 The role of the media in addressing the issue

The media is known to be the sword arm of democracy and the fourth estate of the realm. It acts as a watchdog to protect public interest against malpractices and creates public awareness. Its ability to quickly disseminate information has earned it that role of curbing mob justice that has plagued our nation.

The media, therefore, can best perform this role by adopting interpersonal communication through organising seminars, workshops and providing forums on which skilled personnel will sensitise the citizenry to the devastating effects of mob justice and how best society, as a whole, can deal with suspected criminals.

Aside from the platform mentioned above, the media has a host of other very important platforms, which include call-in programmes, discussion segments, talk shows and various others that can be used to educate and enlighten citizens on their rights and the rights of others and as well set the agenda that will drum home the need to refrain from activities such as mob actions.

The media also performs an entertainment role, which it can use in dramas, soaps, music and other entertaining segments such as comedy to engage listeners or viewers in understanding human rights issues.

On the watchdog role of the media, society relies more on the media to be informed on activities and occurrences across the country. This helps other arms of government, especially the executive, which hosts the security agencies and other important operatives of government, to get to know issues and activities, be it legal or illegal in the country, so as to provide prompt checks and balances to arrest the situations wherever they occur.

Conclusion

The life of every citizen in Ghana is of great importance in nation building. The loss of a single human resource is a big loss to the family, friends, society, the nation as a whole and the world at large.  And although the actions of a mob seem to reflect their sentiments of abhorrence to criminal acts, these actions are not justified by law and they tend to devalue the dignity of the suspected criminals involved.

The government cannot do it alone, neither can the media. You and I have that responsibility of ensuring that the act of mob justice is eradicated from the Ghanaian society.  Together, we can build a better Ghana for our future generations.