Accra, Jan. 21, GNA - The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, on Thursday, launched a five-year strategic plan 2010-2015, to guide its operations and make it more efficient and effective.

The plan would cover three main areas; capacity building, expansion and advocacy.

Mr. Paul Quaye, Inspector General of Police, who launched the plan in Accra, said DOVVSU under the plan would strengthen its collaboration with stakeholders including Ghana Health Service, National Commission on Civic Education, International Federation of Women Lawyers, Attorney General's Department and the media to ensure effective service delivery. He indicated that the Unit intends to strengthen its advocacy by promoting and educating the public on various legislations such as Children's Act 560 of 1998, the Domestic violence Act 732 of 2007, the Juvenile Justice Act 653 of 2003 and other related legislations. "As part of its social plan, DOVVSU as short term objective would create awareness among the public on domestic violence, children, human trafficking and related acts as well as safety issues in order to have a reduction in child and women abuse," he said.

Mr. Quaye said issues of greater access to justice within the shortest possible period had been provided in the plan, and the unit envisaged an improvement in its capability to respond to the needs of victims of abuse, through follow-ups. He said the unit would establish crisis response centres and extend its services to every police division and district in the country. Mr. Quaye said currently the unit was faced with numerous challenges inspite of the modest successes and progress made since its establishment in 1998, then known as the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU). These are lack of office accommodation, inadequate funding, logistics and vehicles.

He noted that lack of accommodation was causing overcrowding in the few available offices, detention cells and counselling rooms at the unit's headquarters and branches nationwide. Mr. Quaye said though DOVVSU had expanded its manpower strength from 20 since its establishment to 230, there had not been a corresponding improvement in terms of infrastructure. He said the national secretariat under construction is still at the foundation stage.

The IGP said the plan would therefore help communicate the unit's mission, assist management in decision making and set the basis for evaluating performance.

He said the task of ensuring protection of human rights of women and children, as well as other vulnerable persons in the society was enormous and required the support from all stakeholders to deal with all forms of abuses.

Dr Kwesi Apea-Kubi, Deputy Minister of the Interior, said government was committed to adequately resource the unit in particular and the Ghana Police Service.

He appealed to civil society, non-governmental organisations and all stakeholders to support DOVVSU to function efficiently and effectively. Dr Apea-Kubi commended stakeholders particularly the United Nations Food and Population Agency and United Nations International Children's Educational Fund for supporting the unit with logistics and training. 21 Jan. 10