A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

the victims concerned where the continuing impact of the past persecution could put
the individuals at risk of serious harm to their well being if returned.” 160
o Host countries should expedite status determination procedures to ensure that
Liberians who wish to stay in Ghana can acquire legal status, including but not
limited to, a residence permit. 161
o The Government of Ghana and other host countries should consider appropriate
arrangements, which would not put into jeopardy their established situation, for
those persons who cannot be expected to leave the country of asylum because of
a long stay in that country resulting in strong family, social, and economic links
there. 162
• The Government of Ghana should increase its efforts to assist recognized refugees in seeking
employment or education inside Ghana. 163
o A process should be developed to allow Liberians to obtain work permits despite the
fact that they may not have appropriate documents, such as a passport, as required
under Ghanaian law for other immigrants.
o Recognized refugees remaining in Ghana should be eligible for enrollment in
Ghanaian public schools and for participation in the Ghanaian National Health
Insurance program. 164
• The Government of Ghana and other West African host countries should fully respect their
obligations to treat refugees in accordance with international human rights law as long as
refugees remain in their territory, paying specific attention to the right to work, the right to
health, the right to property, and the right to education.
• In fulfillment of its duty to establish the voluntary nature of repatriation and to provide
refugees with appropriate information about country conditions in Liberia, the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees should ensure dissemination of accurate information regarding
the repatriation process and the right to claim asylum in the host country to Liberians in
Liberian English and in indigenous languages when necessary.
• In the interest of finding durable solutions for refugees who do not voluntarily repatriate,
UNCHR should accelerate processing for refugees eligible for third country resettlement.
Refugees Recently Repatriated or in Process of Repatriation
For those Liberians who do wish torepatriate, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, host
country governments, and the Government ofLiberia must ensure that refugees can return in safety
and dignity. As noted in the Organizatoin of African Unity Convention Covering the Specific Aspects
of Refugee Problems in Africa, “the essentially voluntary character of repatriation shall be respected
in all cases and no refugee shall be repatriated against his will. 165 The Advocates recommends the
following:
• The Government of Ghana, the Government of Liberia, and the U.N. High Commis-
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