Control your libido to avoid jail; DOVVSU

Males have been advised to develop the skill of controlling their sexual desires to avoid going to jail.

They have also been urged to gather self-control that would help them handle domestic issues without abuse.

An officer with the Central Regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, (DOVVSU), Mr Richard Boadi Twum, who gave this advice, explained that men still perpetrated about 80 per cent of the domestic violence cases, adding that of all the cases that the unit handled, about 80 per cent were made against men.

Mr Twum was speaking at the inauguration of the Men and Boys Advocacy Clubs (MBAC) by the Department of Gender in the Central Region.

With support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Department of Gender has set up clubs to sensitise men and boys to their roles in keeping the domestic environment and the community free from sexual and gender-based violence.

The clubs are to get males to appreciate their role in creating a safer and violent-free environment for all to flourish.

It is also to orient them about their role on how to appreciate females while treating them with dignity.

MBAC
Speaking to MBAC members at separate meetings at Srafa Kokodo and Ekumfi Nanaben, both in the Ekumfi District of the Central Region, Mr Twum said the law was very firm on sexual offences and understanding their sexuality as men while developing self-control could save them years in jail.

"If you are not careful, one sexual act can let you get between seven to 25 years in jail and your whole life would be in disarray," he stated.

He also advised them not to estimate a girl's age by looking at her body mass but to ensure that their sexual partners were not minors and had given consent to sex.

Report culprits
He urged parents whose daughters had been impregnated before the age of 16 to report the culprits to the police.

Involving males
The Central Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Ms Richlove Amamoo, also known as Mama Awotsu Adzagba, said the fight against sexual and gender-based violence and its resultant high levels of teenage pregnancies would not be successful if males were not involved.

According to her, the Department of Gender would continue to sensitise males to help them understand their roles and how they could support efforts at reducing SGBV and teenage pregnancies to optimise the potential of both males and females.

Currently, she said, there were 10 MBACs in the region, adding that the Department of Gender would continue to establish the clubs to help reduce SGBV and teenage pregnancies in the region.

CHRAJ
The Central Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Tetteh Tuwor, advised parents not to neglect their parental responsibilities towards their children but work to provide them with the basic necessities to promote their well-being.