Ghanaians Cautioned

The Ashanti Regional Commander of the Domestic Violence and Victims� Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, DSP David Kwaku Amoako has advised the general public to be concerned about the spate of spousal murder in the country. He also expressed worry at the increasing rate of gruesome killing of children in some parts of the country lately. Speaking to DAILY GUIDE, DSP Amoako said the current situation was alarming and beyond the comprehension of DOVVSU officers. He said the whole country must be proactive in finding a lasting solution to the problem. In his view, the killing of parents has negative consequence on society as children who are left behind either become social miscreants or a burden on the state since government would have to take care of them. The DOVVSU boss was reacting to a story carried by the paper in the Monday May 28, 2012 edition involving a man who butchered his wife to death after accusing her of infidelity. DSP Amaoko appealed to the media and civil society organizations to draw attention to the issue in order to find a lasting solution to the canker. He advised the general public to take precautionary measures when they notice early warning signs. DSP Amoako described threats of death and suicide and their refusal to talk to people resulting from anger as some of the warning signs. �The aggrieved person occasionally batters his spouse anytime he is offended and reminds the spouse of past offences alongside threats of death and injury,� he said. He advised children to quickly report to the police or raise alarm to call in neighbours whenever there is serious altercation between their parents. The Ashanti Regional DOVVSU boss advised spouses to quickly move away from any injurious objects when a serious misunderstanding ensues between them. He called on relations of spouses who have marital problems to get involved and help resolve them without pronouncing any of the spouses guilty, stating that such tendencies compel the aggrieved to seek revenge in most cases. He asked Ghanaians to take a look at the increasing rate of spousal murder, stating that �domestic violence has become alarming and chronic.�