Report gender-based violence to appropriate institutions – CHRAJ
Mr Samuel Oteng Mensah, Asutifi District Director of Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has called on the general public to report all cases of human rights abuse without delay.
He said delayed and unreported human rights abuse denied victims from justice and contributed to increase in such abuses and violence in the communities.
Mr Mensah made the call at a “16 Days of Activism Against Gender Base Violence” Programme at Dekyikrom.
The programme was organised by Action Aid Ghana in partnership with Centre for Maternal and Community Empowerment (CMCE) in the Asutifi District.
On the theme: “Peace in the World Must Begin from the Home”, the programme aimed at ensuring that there was no gender based violence from November 25 to December 10 annually in the society.
Mr Mensah said violence against women and children needed to be reported for perpetrators to be dealt with to deter others because such cases were criminal offences.
He observed that settlement of domestic violence cases at home and communities were more than those reported to the appropriate institutions and added that from January to December this year, a total of 129 cases of human rights abuse against children and women were reported at the district CHRAJ.
Mr Mensah said CHRAJ would intensify its education in the various communities to enlighten the public on the need to report human rights abuse to help minimise the menace.
Mr Salaam Mohammed, Asutifi District Co-ordinator of CMCE, urged women to be agents of peace to ensure the country maintained the prevailing peace during the coming elections.
He appealed to men not to take advantage of vulnerable girls and force them to engage in premarital and illegal sex.
Mr Mohammed urged women to show interest in the upkeep and behaviour of their children and whom they associate with in order to prevent any wayward influence.
He called on parents to stop making demands from their children and probe the source of monies and any unexpected item found on them.
Mr John Abaa, Programme Officer of Action Aid Ghana, said gender-based violence had negative effects on the psychological, health and the total development of those abused.
He said such violence intended to perpetuate gender inequalities and called for the strengthening of local efforts against such unpardonable behaviours.
Source: GNA