Establish a legal aid commission office in Kasoa now – HRG centre advocates

The Human Rights and Governance Centre (HRG Centre), has called on the government to consider establishing a Legal Aid Commission office in the community to help in the fight against crime.

In a press release issued by the Centre, it noted that it is important for the community to have a district office of the Legal Aid Commission to help in combating crimes in the enclave.

“The Centre wishes to call on government and the Legal Aid Commission to open a district office of the Legal Aid Commission in Kasoa. The new office should be well resourced to offer adequate legal assistance to the needy. This should be considered as a matter of urgency. The Centre is prompting Government that the high crime rate in Kasoa comes with a correspondingly high demand for legal services,” it stated.

The statement was on the back of the recent surge of criminal activities in the community including the 10-year-old boy who was allegedly murdered by two teenage boys.

The communique further stated that many citizens are unable to afford the services of legal actions against perpetrators hence, the need to have a legal aid office in the district.

“Many of these poor citizens who are often victims of various crimes are unable to afford the services of a lawyer. It is also important to note that most of these victims require advice on the legal process and how to file their cases, for instance. While the registrars of the district courts have been of tremendous support to many of the court users, the lack of a legal aid office affects effective prosecution of cases and access to justice for many citizens. The Centre observes that the majority of the poor citizens are compelled to travel to the Legal Aid offices in Madina and Cape Coast to seek legal advice at a huge cost. This makes the legal process very frustrating, forcing many of them to give up on the process,” it added.

Read the full statement below: