Don’t accept gifts from child abusers
The Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Miss Juliana Abbeyquaye, has advised parents to desist from accepting money or gifts from people who abuse their children but to report them to the appropriate authorities for prosecution.
Miss Abbeyquaye asked parents to encourage their children, especially victims of gender-based violence, to report their abusers to the relevant authorities.
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The regional director was speaking at a stakeholders meeting on gender-based violence and human rights abuse in Koforidua in the Eastern Region as part of measures by the Department of Gender to sensitise parents and children on the dangers of violence and other abuses.
Miss Abbeyquaye noted that gender-based violence had not been given the needed attention it really deserved pointing out that whenever there was an incidence of abuse or violence, many were quick to judge the victim rather than the perpetrator.
She further said even state institutions had not made provisions to assist the victims of violence, adding that, for instance, a rapist was jailed with the hope that he would transform in prison but the victim of rape was left to her fate.
Miss Abbeyquaye said it was time for all to take interest in what was happening in the communities and not think that “what is happening is far from you but gradually, it will get close to us. All those girls kidnapped and sexually assaulted among others, are part of families and communities like ours".
She pointed out that statistics indicate that one in four women would experience abuse in their lifetime stressing that with the influx of immigrants from other countries who could come along with some vices, there was the need to rise up to fight all forms of abuses which continued to plague the fabric of our society.
She stressed that the freedom to live devoid of fear and trauma was a basic human right which everyone had to enjoy.
The Eastern Regional Principal Investigator for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ ), Mr Shadrack Majisi, for his part, encouraged victims of gender-based violence not to entertain any fears but to be bold in reporting their abusers to the police and other relevant authorities for action on their behalf.
"Report people who touch your genitals or sexually abuse you to your parents or relevant authorities”, he emphasised.