The Scream: families still discriminate against victims of sexual assault
Today, I witnessed the worse discrimination a victim of sexual assault could ever suffer. This was rock bottom for society if the victims of sexual assault could not rely on family to support them through their trauma. What aggravated the situation, in this case, was that this discrimination was coming from the least expected place, the family. As a Journalist for Human Rights, I was sick to my heart to see the ignorance and irresponsibility of the families in handling issues of defilement of their children especially when perpetuated by family member and renowned personality. Do you remember the case of KKD?
Linda, 13 years, (whose full name and location I withheld) kicked her father in the groin, and escaped for shelter at her classmate house after her father restrained her on the bed and was sucking her breast, Head of Social Welfare Department at the Adentan Municipality in Accra disclosed. Ever since her escape, she has constantly been harassed by her extended family. According to the Social Welfare Officer, Mrs Clara Sowah, the father has been touching the girl inappropriately under the pretext of treating her daughter's virginal infection [Candidiasis]
At the Cocoa Affairs Court in Accra, Ghana, the grand scheme of the family to intimidate the poor girl was ever more aggressive. With the mother performing a theatrical show of collapsing feigning a heart attack, claiming her daughter will kill her, and the grandfather evoking spirits of the ghost to judge the girl if she is not telling the truth, the girl was abused emotionally at the doorstep of the court, to my utmost disgust.
The mother said in Twi which I translate thus: “You are not an orphan yet you are forced to stay in a foster house. Do you wish for me to excommunicate you from my children? Tell me the truth” currently the mother has remarried and is with a child, for her new husband. The father's sisters called the girl a bad girl and a liar. Belinda's maternal grandfather threatened that he will evoke evil ghost to judge her (and I quote, through, with my twi terribly written “m3 sama wo w) sumsum boni nten” translated I will summon you to the spirits)
My initial response was to report the issues to the prosecutor, all he said was that he could not be faulted if the family comes to intimidate his client. And that he was not responsible for the victim since that was the responsibility of the social welfare officer.
Currently, a bail has been set for the Father at 8,000 Ghana Cedis and the case adjourned to the 19th of August 2015. in an interview with a source close to the case revealed that, in a closed door sitting the judge asked the mother if the child was released to her custody and the man's family were to bribe her, would she release the child to them? She responded in the affirmative. The judge, I heard, laughed her heart out. The mother was later criticized by the family for her answer, she told the social worker she did not understand the question been asked at that time.
In all this the child was bitterly crying. When we were escorting her out of the premise, the child's grandfather was telling a four elderly looking men that “that is the girl” this made one of the four men followed to get a good view, even with my disapproving cold stare casted on the group. There were pointing fingers at the girl, a situation the made me steam with anger and disgust.
In my observation, there is no commitment shown in this case. The investigating officer Corporal Amoako seems to be second guessing the child's statement. The family don't trust her either. This case takes the passion and commitment of the Social Welfare Department of Adentan Municipal Assembly, Adentan, Accra, to maintain the confidence of the child to do what is right.
When we consider raped or defiled victims who report these cases as careless and are to be blamed for their ordeal, are we not giving room for men to be irresponsible? if that does not prick you look for the data of the rate of rape and defilement in Kanya and South Africa and decide Ghana's future.
Linda, 13 years, (whose full name and location I withheld) kicked her father in the groin, and escaped for shelter at her classmate house after her father restrained her on the bed and was sucking her breast, Head of Social Welfare Department at the Adentan Municipality in Accra disclosed. Ever since her escape, she has constantly been harassed by her extended family. According to the Social Welfare Officer, Mrs Clara Sowah, the father has been touching the girl inappropriately under the pretext of treating her daughter's virginal infection [Candidiasis]
At the Cocoa Affairs Court in Accra, Ghana, the grand scheme of the family to intimidate the poor girl was ever more aggressive. With the mother performing a theatrical show of collapsing feigning a heart attack, claiming her daughter will kill her, and the grandfather evoking spirits of the ghost to judge the girl if she is not telling the truth, the girl was abused emotionally at the doorstep of the court, to my utmost disgust.
The mother said in Twi which I translate thus: “You are not an orphan yet you are forced to stay in a foster house. Do you wish for me to excommunicate you from my children? Tell me the truth” currently the mother has remarried and is with a child, for her new husband. The father's sisters called the girl a bad girl and a liar. Belinda's maternal grandfather threatened that he will evoke evil ghost to judge her (and I quote, through, with my twi terribly written “m3 sama wo w) sumsum boni nten” translated I will summon you to the spirits)
My initial response was to report the issues to the prosecutor, all he said was that he could not be faulted if the family comes to intimidate his client. And that he was not responsible for the victim since that was the responsibility of the social welfare officer.
Currently, a bail has been set for the Father at 8,000 Ghana Cedis and the case adjourned to the 19th of August 2015. in an interview with a source close to the case revealed that, in a closed door sitting the judge asked the mother if the child was released to her custody and the man's family were to bribe her, would she release the child to them? She responded in the affirmative. The judge, I heard, laughed her heart out. The mother was later criticized by the family for her answer, she told the social worker she did not understand the question been asked at that time.
In all this the child was bitterly crying. When we were escorting her out of the premise, the child's grandfather was telling a four elderly looking men that “that is the girl” this made one of the four men followed to get a good view, even with my disapproving cold stare casted on the group. There were pointing fingers at the girl, a situation the made me steam with anger and disgust.
In my observation, there is no commitment shown in this case. The investigating officer Corporal Amoako seems to be second guessing the child's statement. The family don't trust her either. This case takes the passion and commitment of the Social Welfare Department of Adentan Municipal Assembly, Adentan, Accra, to maintain the confidence of the child to do what is right.
When we consider raped or defiled victims who report these cases as careless and are to be blamed for their ordeal, are we not giving room for men to be irresponsible? if that does not prick you look for the data of the rate of rape and defilement in Kanya and South Africa and decide Ghana's future.
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