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The Central Regional Coordinator of Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), DSP George Appiah Sakyi has stated that the region recorded 742 domestic violence cases in the first quarter of this year.

In an interview with the DAILY HERITAGE at the DOVVSU office in Cape Coast, Mr. Sakyi said in 2002, the unit recorded 8,10 cases and since then the cases have been on the rise.

According to him, for the past seven years, the unit has not recorded less than 2,000 cases annually and even in 2014 they recorded 3,358 cases of domestic violence bringing the total of reported cases to 30,596 since 2002.

DSP Sakyi added that 3, 505 cases were reported to them in 2013, but there were slight increase in defilement, rape, unlawful assault, and threat of death, exposing child to harm and abduction cases during the first quarter of this year’s review as compared to 2014.

He added that the unit recorded 227 unlawful assault cases in the first quarter of 2015 and recorded 1,055, the whole of 2014 and 970 reported cases in 2013, as well as 672 cases in the year 2012.

DSP Sakyi observed that non-maintenance cases significantly dropped for the first time since the establishment of DOVVSU from 1,329 in 2013 to 912 last year, adding that, the unit also recorded 38 rape cases in 2013 and 41 cases in 2014.

He stated that the unit also received 48 defilement cases in the first quarter of this year, 207 last year and 191 reported cases in 2013.

He hinted that 258 cases were sent to court last year gaining 67 convictions, whilst 12 were acquitted and discharged and the rest awaiting trial.

He said the unit in collaboration with some Non-Governmental Organizations, including Hope for Future Generation, a human rights centre for advocacy organized a number of sensitization workshops on the need to stop gender and sexual based violence.

DSP Sakyi hinted that domestic violence could also result in emotional and psychological effects such as anxiety, depression, poor health and physical injury; hence, women are likely to suffer from eating problems and sexual dysfunction as a result of violence.

Touching on challenges facing the unit, he said the offices at Kasoa, Assin Fosu and Agona Swedru are in deplorable state and called for urgent attention from the government, philanthropists and the public to come to their aid.

He again stated that none of DOVVSU offices within the region apart from Cape Coast has vehicle to take care of the transportation needs of personnel and called for support from individuals to rescue the unit as soon as possible.