Cases of defilement have been very rampant these days in urban and rural areas of our country.
Ghana’s constitution in section 101(1), Act 29 clearly defines defilement as having sexual intercourse with a girl below 16 years with or without her consent.
According to a survey by the criminal investigations department (CID), in space of five years, there were 14,551 reported cases of defilement across the country.
The survey also indicates that Greater Accra tops the regional breakdown with 2,994 cases followed by the Ashanti and Western regions respectively.
The above statistics demonstrate a rise in the issue at hand which has made some ladies out if anxiety and disgusted has suggested the laws be revealed for such offenders to be castrated because to them the punishments are not deterrent enough
Thorough research by the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit(DOVVSU) has indicated that one of the major causes of defilement is parental negligence.
The National Coordinating Director of DOVVSU, Chief Superintendent Rev. Mrs. Laurencia Wilhemina Akorli, reveals in an interview with The Mirror, an Accra-based newspaper that one of the key causes of defilement is parental negligence as a total of 31,480 were neglected by their parents in the last six years.
However, some Ghanaian men in an interview with The1957News revealed that the indiscipline dressing of ladies these days is what often lures men into defiling young girls.
On how to prevent defilement, some ladies of the Ghana Institute of journalism suggested a castration sentence for grown men who defile young girls.
They expressed such revulsion towards defilement in a conversation on the GIJ campus with Isaac Donkor, a student blogger.
“Castrate such men, they don’t deserve to have feelings anymore. That will even serve as an example to those who are planning on rapping or defiling ladies.”
Although the laws of the land have not indicated castration as a possible punishment for defilement and rape culprits as asserted by lawyer Benjamin Antiedu a private legal practitioner during an interview with the same student blogger.
He said, “Our constitution is the only medium from which punishment for criminal offenders are referred, so a judge can not base on people's suggestions to issue sentences to criminals unless the laws have been reviewed by the legislature which is our parliament to that effect.
“Yes I believe it can be considered by law but until then the highest punishment for defilement offenders in Ghana is 25 years.
What I do not agree with is the fact that people say the punishment is not deterrent enough because even though death is there as punishment for murderers yet people kill every day", he added.
Recent Cases
According to a story by GHONE NEWS on Monday, April 4, 2022, 4 men are alleged to have defiled a 10-year-old class 3 pupil at Abura Edumfa in the Abura Aseibu Kwamankese district, central region.
According to a report by the central regional GHONE correspondent, the little girl confessed that four Men, 39-year-old Yaw Raga, 63-year-old Ofa Yaw, and two others continuously defiled her and cautioned her not to disclose it to anyone.
Due to the sexual assault, the girl is feeling pain while walking and even battling with her life at the moment.
“They dragged me into the room defiled me and cautioned me not to disclose it to anybody, I kept it to myself because I feared they will harm me,” Said the victim.
The report also indicates that the girl has been facing stigmatization from her peers after the incident which is also the trauma many victims of defilement suffer in Ghana.
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Cases of defilement have been on the rise