Northern Region records more cases of defilement, rape
The Northern Regional Command of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service recorded an increase in defilement and rape cases in 2014, as compared to the previous year.
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The Regional Coordinator of the Unit, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Emmanuel Holortu, who disclosed this in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said a total of 58 defilement and rape cases were reported as compared to 48 in 2013.
He stated that cases of child abandonment in the region also increased from 92 in 2013 to 120 in 2014.
The region, however, did not record any case of sexual harassment in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
He said the region recorded 250 assault cases in 2014 while that for 2013 was 163.
Awareness and sensitisation
He attributed the increase in the number of reported cases to the level of awareness and sensitisation on the need for people to report such cases to the unit, as well as the creation of the DOVVSU units in districts in the region.
ASP Holortu, however, expressed regret that some people still felt reluctant to report cases of domestic violence and sexual abuse because of fear or intimidation by some family members and the decision by some religious bodies to settle such cases in order not to expose victims to stigmatisation and public ridicule.
ASP Holortu said child neglect or non maintenance of children was also high in the region, as a number of children were abandoned by their parents after birth.
ASP Holortu also mentioned that the unit had adopted a strategy to educate those in the rural areas through the use of radio stations and education programmes in schools on the importance of reporting these cases to the unit for the perpetrators to face the full rigours of the law.