Elevation of DOVVSU: President’s promise still awaits redemption
Watching the news of the swearing-in of the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr John Kudalor, on Friday, February 19, 2016, as the substantive head of the Ghana Police Service, evoked both happy and sad memories in me.
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In 2013, the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur, facilitated an interaction between civil society groups and President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House, the same venue that the IGP was being sworn in on that day. During the interaction, I was nominated to make a presentation to the President on some issues very dear to the heart of women of Ghana.
I spoke about the need to strengthen our national response to gender-based violence, advocating strongly the elevation of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service to a directorate with a substantive schedule officer in charge.
Within the limited time given to address the President on the subject, many reasons were put forward to support such a demand. An appeal for a stimulus package to save the only functioning shelter for women and children survivors of gender-based violence, faced with a possible closure, was also made.
President’s response
I was thrilled with the President’s response. He spoke with so much understanding and promise. He was convinced that given the track record of DOVVSU, in terms of its response to the vulnerable in society, and the visibility the police had received from its operations, both locally and internationally, its elevation was, therefore, long overdue.
This was the understanding part; now the promise. Having clearly understood our concerns and acknowledging the crucial role DOVVSU played in responding to the human security needs of the family in this country, the President made a commitment to ensure that DOVVSU was elevated to a status befiting its contribution to national peace and security.
This commitment was made in 2013 in the presence of Professor Takyiwah Manu, Dr Akua Britwum, Mrs Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, Oheneyere Gifty Anti, Dr Afia Ansaa Ampene, Mrs Hilary Gbedemah, Mrs Joana Opare, all gender advocates; queen mothers, Dr Valerie Sawyerr, the then Deputy Chief of Staff, among others. At the end of the interaction, Dr Sawyerr sought clarification from me on the impending closure of the shelter and what could be done to ensure that it continued to serve as a safe haven for survivors of gender-based violence in Ghana.
Nana Oye’s response
Needless to say, Nana Oye was present but it’s been three years and the plight of DOVVSU is degenerating. My expectation was that the minister would have quickly developed a blueprint for realising the President’s commitment at the meeting. As far as I am aware, the matter was dead and buried after the photo shoot. We had no feedback from Nana Oye.
At different meetings with the minister, I have taken the opportunity to inquire about progress only to be schooled on how such an action does not fall in her line of duty. In one of her responses, the minister intimated that whenever the President made a pronouncement/statement, someone had to pick it up and work with the issues raised. It was then the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior to pick them up, since it had supervisory role over the Ghana Police Service.
She added that the Gender Ministry could only make suggestions to the Ministry of Interior, but they did not have the mandate to pick up the issues.
It is clear from this response that once the Minister of Interior was not present at the meeting, there was little the minister, who had overall responsibility for the implementation of the Domestic Violence Act 2007 (Act 732), could do to help the President make good his promise to the women of Ghana. This is where my sad memories begin. Our meeting with the President, facilitated by a Cabinet Minister, had become a charade. This is highly unacceptable.
I stand to be corrected and extend my sincerest apologies in advance to the minister, if she reminded the President by submitting a memo to Cabinet for consideration and she was rebuffed. Political correctness does not relieve women and children from the throes of trauma. It takes proactive, decisive and sensitive actions to rescue victims from the abyss of helplessness and hopelessness in which their experience of gender-based violence leaves them.
IGP
Mr Kudalor has a rare opportunity to crown his long meritorious service to the people of Ghana by helping the President bring this promise into reality. I gently remind the IGP of an interaction a team of civil society actors had with the Police Management Board on October 1, 2014 at the Police Headquarters. At the meeting, we enumerated a number of problems plaguing DOVVSU that demanded immediate attention from the police hierarchy.
The current IGP, being the then Director of Police Operations, must have been present. The problems included anchorage and leadership, professionalism, DOVVSU’s operational philosophy and staffing, among others. We stand ready to offer whatever technical support the current IGP requires to strengthen the operations of DOVVSU. Our doors are widely open for such an engagement.
We are not oblivious to the time the IGP has been appointed; elections are fast looming on the horizon with serious implication for police operations. Elections notwithstanding, it is essential for us to know that we do not stop living in an election year while the police must fully engage all facets of the Ghanaian life that demand their attention and this includes responding to gender-based violence.
Conclusion
Without a strengthened DOVVSU, there is no way full and effective implementation of the Domestic Violence Act 2007 (Act 732) could be realised. The President’s promise to elevate DOVVSU still awaits redemption. If redeeming this promise does not fall within the Gender Ministry’s mandate, then the President must also direct the IGP, the Ministry of Interior and the Police Council to, as a matter of urgency, embark on “Operation redeem the president’s promise to strengthen dovvsu now!”