Community Leaders Urged to Stop Settling Rape, Defilement Cases Privately
Ho, Volta Region - The Chief Director of the Volta Regional Coordinating Council (VRCC), Augustus Awity, has sounded the alarm over the troubling practice of prominent community members secretly settling rape and defilement cases without involving the police.
Awity expressed deep concern that this trend is enabling and encouraging criminal behavior, as rape and defilement are serious felonies that should not be resolved privately.
"Rape and defilement cases are grave offenses that cannot simply be settled at home," Awity stated firmly. "Ghana is not a lawless country, and we cannot allow perpetrators to evade justice in this way."
Awity revealed that those who often preside over these private settlements include chiefs, pastors, assemblymen, and even politicians - some of whom are doing so for personal financial gain.
"It is disheartening to see so many influential community leaders condoning these crimes and perverting the course of justice," he lamented.
The Volta Regional Director of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe, acknowledged that Ghana continues to grapple with a high prevalence of violence against women and girls, driven by deep-seated social and cultural norms.
To address this, an NGO project supported by the EU is working to empower women and girls to recognize all forms of domestic abuse and seek proper protection and justice.
The Deputy Volta Regional Police Commander, ACP Joseph Owusu-Ansah, echoed calls for the public to promptly report cases of domestic violence to the authorities for swift action.
Persons with disabilities in the region also face significant barriers in accessing support services, such as physical accessibility issues and lack of sign language interpreters at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit.
Awity made a firm call for the police to take a strong stance against those who attempt to secretly settle these serious crimes, urging them to deal "ruthlessly" with the perpetrators.
"Rape and defilement are not issues that can be resolved privately," he asserted. "We must put an end to this practice and ensure justice is served."
Awity expressed deep concern that this trend is enabling and encouraging criminal behavior, as rape and defilement are serious felonies that should not be resolved privately.
"Rape and defilement cases are grave offenses that cannot simply be settled at home," Awity stated firmly. "Ghana is not a lawless country, and we cannot allow perpetrators to evade justice in this way."
Awity revealed that those who often preside over these private settlements include chiefs, pastors, assemblymen, and even politicians - some of whom are doing so for personal financial gain.
"It is disheartening to see so many influential community leaders condoning these crimes and perverting the course of justice," he lamented.
The Volta Regional Director of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe, acknowledged that Ghana continues to grapple with a high prevalence of violence against women and girls, driven by deep-seated social and cultural norms.
To address this, an NGO project supported by the EU is working to empower women and girls to recognize all forms of domestic abuse and seek proper protection and justice.
The Deputy Volta Regional Police Commander, ACP Joseph Owusu-Ansah, echoed calls for the public to promptly report cases of domestic violence to the authorities for swift action.
Persons with disabilities in the region also face significant barriers in accessing support services, such as physical accessibility issues and lack of sign language interpreters at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit.
Awity made a firm call for the police to take a strong stance against those who attempt to secretly settle these serious crimes, urging them to deal "ruthlessly" with the perpetrators.
"Rape and defilement are not issues that can be resolved privately," he asserted. "We must put an end to this practice and ensure justice is served."