Stop shielding persons who abuse girls - Volta Regional Director of Children Department

The Volta Regional Director of Children Department, Mr Israel Akrobotu has advised that persons who are fond of abusing young women, the girl-child should not be spare but must be dealt with.

According to him, one major problem the department faces in its efforts to combat violence against female children is behavioural practices such us covering perpetrators of such crimes.

He explained that, “One problem we can attribute to this is that, we have our laws so if you abuse the girl child the law is there to take its own course this issue is still pertaining because when people are caught up in the act and they are reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) or the law enforcement agency, the very people who reported the case will go back telling the law enforcement agency that we want to take this and address it at home”.

Mr Akrobotu lamented that such behaviour must be discouraged because “ when we continue like that people will hide behind oh we are all one to continue to perpetuate this crime against the girl child” he advised that “ if somebody has committed a crime against the girl child and it has been reported let’s allow the law enforcement agencies to take its own course when the person needs to be jailed, let’s jail the person and to serve as a deterrent to others if we do that, I believe all these forms of abuse, discrimination against the girl child will be the thing of the past” he said.

He made this known in an interview with ClassNews on this year’s International Girl Child Day Celebration on Sunday, 10 October 2020 in Ho.

Speaking on the roles of parents, the director urged parents and guardians to establish good relationships with their female children saying “ if you’re a parent and you don’t have that cordial relationship with your child, especially the girl child they will find it very difficult telling you what they’re going through. So we’re just appealing to parents to take their own children as their wives and their husbands and through that, they’ll be able to tell them whatever they are going through, they should assure them that, whatever they discuss with them they will keep it secretly when you assured the child like that, the child will be willing to tell you whatever he or she is going through “ he said.

He called on other stakeholders to leave no stone unturned in protecting and educating children especially the girls.