THE ASHANTI Regional head of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOUVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police Benjamin Dokurugu has urged the public to report rape and other child abuse cases to any nearest DOUVSU office, instead of reporting to the media.
He said, this will help protect the lives of kids and thereby curbing child abuse, neglect and other maltreatment children go through in society. He advised the public to either report or direct victims to any nearest DOUVSU office for the necessary action to be taken.
Speaking at the launch of Compassion Ghana International (CGI) in the Northern sector in Kumasi, DSP Dokurugu noted that the discussion of rape cases on radio dents the image of the victims saying the practice is not the best.
He urged the public to open up and talk to children when they see them in a deplorable condition because they will reveal a lot when we show concern in such situations saying children are to be protected physically and emotionally. DSP Benjamin commended CGI for championing children advocacy, saying the upbringing of a child is collective responsibility.
The Ashanti Regional DOUVSU head noted that children walking barefooted on a refuse damp and intelligent children performing poorly in exam are all child abuses.
On the upbringing of children in the Ghanaian society, DSP Dokurugu emphasized that parents have to bring up their wards in a Christian way and urged Ghanaians to take care of their children, since it is a crime not to cater for one’s kids, stressing that child neglect is punishable by law.
The Country Director of CGI, Mr. Padmore Baffour Agyemang, disclosed that the target of CGI in 2015 is to focus on Child survival and development programmes.
He stated that children are the most vulnerable and that in times of disaster, children suffer the most and called on all and sundry to push child advocacy in Ghana forward.
Director Padmore indicated that CGI does not deal with orphanages, but deals with Churches and operates in three areas namely; cognitive, health, physical and socio-emotional, to enable the child to be holistically reformed.
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