Qualitative study of community grievance mechanisms in Ghana

ICI has been testing the use of community-based grievance mechanisms in Ghana since 2022. Two years later, initial observations, feedback and data on recorded grievances show promising results. Workers are using the system, committees are able to mediate disputes and refer more serious cases to local authorities who intervene when needed, to ensure an appropriate response is given to complaints. 

The objective of this study is to go beyond these initial observations and understand how this approach can be further improved and implemented sustainably in the longer term, by conducting a robust qualitative analysis of the process. The results will inform improvements to ICI-implemented community-based grievance mechanisms in Ghana to support sustainable functioning of these mechanisms now and in the longer term to address labour violations in cocoa communities.

1. Understand how grievance mechanisms are perceived by workers, employers, community members, cooperative staff and local authorities.
2. Identify good practices and areas for improvement.
3. Identify ways to make grievance mechanisms sustainable in the longer term

• How are grievance mechanisms perceived by different stakeholders involved​ (workers, employers, community members, cooperative staff and local authorities)?
• What are examples of successful remedy, and why were they successful? ​
• What are examples of unsuccessful remedy, and why were they unsuccessful?
• What are the implementation challenges?​
• What is needed for grievance mechanisms’ sustainability? ​
• How can Assess & Address committees be effectively involved in the set-up and implementation of grievance mechanisms for forced labour?

Members of grievance committees and users of grievance mechanisms, i.e.:

• community and religious leaders, including women leaders 
• workers
• employers/farm owners
• cocoa district representatives
• local authority representatives: CHRAJ, labour inspectorate, Ghana Police Service, Domestic Violence and Support Unit, Immigration Department, Cocoa Health Department of COCOBOD, District Coordinating Unit, Clerk of District Court, Presiding Members of Local Assembly, National Commission for Civic Education, Department of Cooperatives.

It is expected that women will be underrepresented within these target groups however, women are part of grievance mechanisms’ targeted user groups. Specific efforts should therefore be made to include women’s participation and perspectives in the study.

Primary data will be collected through focus group discussions with workers and employers in 12 targeted communities (including 6 with only the grievance mechanism and 6 with both a grievance mechanism and an “Assess & Address” committee), complemented by information collected through individual interviews with representatives of other stakeholder groups.

Collected data will be analysed to capture the diversity of perceptions, experiences, challenges and solutions reported by the different stakeholder groups in order to answer the research questions above.

• Research plan, detailing the methodology, analysis plan, workplan and sampling strategy
• Questioning routes for individual interviews and focus group discussions
• Transcripts/notes of data collected
• A concise report and a presentation