• Live Radio
  • Videos
  • About
  • Contact
  • Despite Media
Ghana Election 2020
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Politics
  • Showbiz
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • VIDEOS
  • Media
    • Videos
    • Audio
    • Live Radio
    • Photos
  • Election 2020
Local News
 
 
 
Home News Social 202005

Medical Fees, A Major Challenge To Victims Of Rape And Defilement

31-May-2020
/ Social, News
Email
Print
Comments 0
(0)
Comments
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
 

Some few weeks ago, I met a young woman who narrated how her 11 year old girl was defiled by a 45 year old man in their neighbourhood; she had to nurse the wound and pain of her daughter a class five pupil all alone, whiles the perpetrator walked free because she could not afford to pay GH¢300 medical bill to support the prosecution’s evidence.

The woman said she also came into contact with three other women who had gone through similar fates where their children had been defiled, yet could not find justice, because they had no money to pay medical fees or the needed logistics to go through the long and frustrating process of finding justice for their poor children who had been traumatised and sometimes damaged beyond repairs.

On Mother’s Day, there was a report that a suspect who defiled a seven-year old girl at Agona Nyakrom had been freed because the victim’s poor parents could not raise GH¢200 to pay for the medical fees at the Agona Swedru Government Hospital.

The plight of a mother whose daughter as young as five years old has been defiled has nothing to be compared to especially when she is a single parent and is challenged financially.

This heart breaking stories where young children and girls who have been sexually abused are refused justice is occurring quite frequently and does not speak well of the nation which is committed to the rights and protection of children especially the girl child.

I have attended several conferences and workshops organized by the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection where this issue has featured prominently and officers from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) have also stated clearly that it is one of the key barriers to prosecuting such cases.

Police Superintendent Florence Anaman, Eastern Regional DOVSSU Commander, at one of the Regional Multisectoral Child Protection Committee meetings, said there is the need for medical fees to be scrapped in times of defilement and rape to ensure justice delivery.

She said quite often parents and guardians whose daughters have been defiled or raped go and don’t come back again due to the lack of finances to pay for the medical fees adding that “this medical fees is really a burden to all of us both the police and the parents whose children have been abused and we must find an urgent solution”.

In some instances, where the mothers are too poor to even foot the transportation costs after reporting the incident, the police officers handling some of such cases have had to contribute to pay for the medical fees to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.

Reports from the DOVVSU suggests that many of these defilement and rape cases occur at the rural areas, to vulnerable children of less privileged parents who find it difficult to bear the costs of initiating the prosecution for justice to prevail.

And in many cases the few who try to pursue the matter are challenged by members of the public to abandon the process - the ‘fa ma nyame’ syndrome.

With this being the situation, many more children are becoming victims to defilement and rape. And perpetrators of such acts don’t deserve to be walking around to harm other children.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection must come clear on this issue, it should not be too much for the Ministry in collaboration with other state agencies such as the DOVVSU and the Ghana Health Service, to scrap the medical fees for abused children.

This would greatly alleviate the plight of many defiled and raped victims in furtherance of the child welfare and protection systems.

Crime against children especially the girl child need to become a heavy burden on the perpetrators and nothing should stand in the way of punishing men who commit such atrocious acts. They are a threat to the harmony of the entire society.

Source: GNA

 

 
 

 

Comments ( 0 ): Post Your Comments >>

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
Featured Video
Previous Post

How A Speeding Train Rammed Into Fuel Tanker At Level Crossing In Takoradi

Next Post

35 Out of 231 Ghanaians Deported From Kuwait Test Positive for COVID-19

 
 

More Stories

Court Gives Alhaji Ziblim 48 Hours To Appear
School Feeding Program: Govt Deducts Tax From The 0.97 Pesewas – Caterer Alleges
BBC Accused Of Trying To Indoctrinate Kids After CBeebies Programme Says FISH Can Swap Genders
Ryanair Cancels 400 Flights Today...
Some Parts Of The Country To Experience Rains Today - GMA Cautions
‘One Dead, Another Gone Blind - School Feeding Caterer Reveals Effects Of Economic Hardship On Colleagues
School Feeding Caterers To Receive Payment Next Week
School Feeding: Cost Per Meal To Be Increased From GH¢1 To GH¢1.20 - Minister
The National Cathedral Does Not Belong To Any Individual, It Is For Yahweh – Duncan-Williams
Next Post

35 Out of 231 Ghanaians Deported From Kuwait Test Positive for COVID-19

  Local News

  • General News
  • Social
  • Health
  • Education
  • Religion
  • Technology
  • Crime & Justice
  • Travel/Tourism
  • Science/Environment


 
 

 

Other Social Stories

  • Court Gives Alhaji Ziblim 48 Hours To Appear

  • School Feeding Program: Govt Deducts Tax From The 0.97 Pesewas – Caterer Alleges

  • BBC Accused Of Trying To Indoctrinate Kids After CBeebies Programme Says FISH Can Swap Genders

  • Ryanair Cancels 400 Flights Today...

  • Some Parts Of The Country To Experience Rains Today - GMA Cautions

  • ‘One Dead, Another Gone Blind - School Feeding Caterer Reveals Effects Of Economic Hardship On Colleagues

  • School Feeding Caterers To Receive Payment Next Week

  • School Feeding: Cost Per Meal To Be Increased From GH¢1 To GH¢1.20 - Minister

  • The National Cathedral Does Not Belong To Any Individual, It Is For Yahweh – Duncan-Williams

  • Ga Mantse To Change Greater Accra To 'Ga-Adangbe Region'

 

 
 

Popular Videos

Kokrokoo Discussion Segment On Peace 104.3 FM (02/06/2023)

Kokrokoo Live On Peace 104.3 FM (02/06/2023)

Peace Power Sports (02/06/2023)

Akan News @ 8pm On Peace 104.3 FM (02/06/2023)

Akan News @ Midday On Peace 104.3 FM (03/06/2023)

GHANA MONTIE with MAC-JERRY OSEI AGYEMANG on NEAT 100.9 FM (FRIDAY 2-06-23)

Peace FM Online and Despite Media

peacefmonline.com offers its reading audience with a comprehensive online source for up-to-the-minute news about politics, business, entertainment and other issues in Ghana

Follow us on social media:

Category

  • Home
  • Local News
  • Politics
  • Showbiz
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Trivia
  • Foreign
  • Audio
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Elections
Decision Time
Ghana Election 2020 2016 Elections
Services
Live Radio Audio on Demand Ghana Elections Advertise with Us
Useful Links
Despite Media About Us Contact Us Feedback Form Terms and Conditions Privacy
Our Brands
Despite Media UTV Peace FM Okay FM Hello FM Neat FM Peacefmonline
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Privacy

© 2020 Peacefmonline.com - An online portal owned and managed by Despite Media

  • Home
  • Local News
  • Politics
  • Showbiz
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Articles
  • Trivia
  • Foreign
  • Live Radio
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Audio
  • Election 2020

© 2020 Peacefmonline.com - An online portal owned and managed by Despite Media