Chairman of the Ayawaso Council of Zongo Chiefs
Chief Baba Issah, chairman of the Ayawaso Council of Zongo Chiefs, has called on parents in Nima and its environs to take a keen interest in the welfare of their children to protect them from social vices.
He also urged the police to ensure the prosecution of all domestic violence cases, especially rape and defilement, particularly from the area, to serve as a deterrent to others.
His call comes on the back of a recent alleged defilement of a 5-year-old girl at Nima by a 52-year-old Islamic teacher.
Also, two "kingpins", Ali Awudu alias, “Bombom” and Ibrahim Husain alias “Kumodzi” were recently arrested following a brawl that broke up between their gangs in the area which left many injured.
Speaking at a community engagement for residents of Nima, Mamobi and its environs, on domestic violence and related criminal offences, Chief Issah explained that, parents must begin to assume full responsibility for their children to protect them against sexual predators and other social vices.
The engagement, organised by the International Network of Religious Leaders Living with or personally affected by HIV and AIDS (INERELA Ghana), with funding from the United Nations Women Trust Fund, was to sensitise community members on the need to protect the vulnerable in society, such as women and girls, to eradicate domestic violence in the community.
It was attended by Imams, queen mothers, and various leaders, as well as members from the various communities.
Chief Issah noted that the recent violent crimes, including rape, defilement and gang clashes recorded in and around Nima were a result of parents' disinterest in their children's welfare.
"You parents must take up your responsibility and ensure the protection of your children. More often, we the leaders are blamed when bad things happen in the community, but I believe if the parents are responsible enough, we would not have all these social vices we have now," he said.
Information from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DoVVSU) of the Nima Police Station indicates that there has been a surge in defilement and other domestic violence offences in recent times.
Statistics available at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service indicate that 1,047 girls were defiled, while 305 women were raped in 2020.
Also, about 1,500 cases of violence against women are reported to law enforcement agencies annually.
Chief Issah cautioned community leaders such as Imams and opinion leaders to desist from interfering in rape and defilement cases and allow the Police to do their job, to ensure justice for the victims.
He also pleaded with the police hierarchy to ensure that they prosecuted offenders without fear or favour.
ASP Mavis Adjei, DoVVSU Coordinator, Nima Police Command, appealed to the community leaders to assist the Police to prosecute perpetrators of criminal cases in the area, to deter others.
She explained that the continuous threat from some community leaders when such cases were brought to the police station was affecting the unit and rendering it useless.
"We have a lot of rape and defilement cases which we have not been able to prosecute the perpetrators because of constant threats from some community members and leaders. This is gradually making the unit dysfunctional," she noted.
ASP Adjei appealed to the relevant authorities resource the Division's unit to enable it to effectively carry out its mandate.
Mrs Mercy Acquah-Hayford, Executive Director, INERELA Ghana, said as a human rights group, it was aware of the number of abuses that occurred in the Nima community and its environs, adding that, the engagement was, therefore, an effort to educate the community on the need to report such cases to the relevant authorities.
She urged the women and girls in the community to speak up when they were abused to ensure that perpetrators were duly punished.
Mr Cephas Essiful Ansah, a Legal Officer at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, encouraged the public to use the Commission to settle more of none criminal cases to cut down costs.