Defilement and abuse are also fertilized by the inner essence of criminals in Ghana and many other parts of the world, despite the fact that it is still an anomaly and criminal in Ghana’s law.
Getting carnal knowledge of a female of not less than 16 years without her permission is defined as rape in section 98 of Act 29, of the 1992 Constitution, whereas defilement is defined in section 101 (2) of Act 29 as natural or unnatural carnal knowledge of a child under 16 years of age with or without the child’s consent.
Effects of the two
Extreme traumatic assaults, physical bruises from crying, mental struggles, and anti-social trials are widespread among defiled and raped victims. If fate should not interfere, the survivor will never be able to reclaim her life.
Superintendent Evelyn Borbor, then the National Coordinator of theDomestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), said in 2018 at a campaign launch called “I stand against rape and defilement” in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Education Service, and the Rich Media Consult, a charitable organisation, that her office received an average of 20 cases of defilement and 10 rape cases nationwide every month.
According to her, the Unit recorded 790 cases of defilement and 307 cases of rape in 2017, with the numbers likely to rise if action is not taken to combat the problem.
The DOVVSU registered 1,197 allegations of alleged defilement and 15 cases of attempted defilement in 2015, according to the US Department of State Human Rights Records on Ghana, but the true number of cases is estimated to be much higher.
The number of defilement cases reported by DOVVSU increased to 1,270 in 2019, while rape cases increased to 369.
The motivation of victims and their parents to report criminal attacks to the police for immediate action has been one step in controlling the situation; however, the question remains whether justice is still done and available for the vulnerable citizen who needs it within Ghana’s judicial structures.
Analogy
Cindy’s experience, and that of countless others who have been sexually assaulted around the country and beyond, is heartbreaking.
Cindy was invited to follow her mother to a prayer camp in Accra to have a private time in keeping with their spiritual values and religious practice as a poor little girl full of life with a single parent.
On the road, a neighbor offered to look after the little girl so her mother could attend the camp more easily.
Cindy’s mother, Madam Gifty Sarfowaa, reported that when she returned in the evening to bathe her daughter, Cindy was bleeding abnormally, to the point where she couldn’t bear it when her mother attempted to wash her genitals due to unbearable pain.
“An old woman in the house came to check on the girl and claimed she had been sexually abused,” Madam Sarfowaa explained. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, so I drove her to the police department, where a female officer checked her and verified our suspicions, directing us to the hospital for a specialist test, in which our conviction was confirmed.
“My daughter was torn to pieces, and she fought to sleep for nights because of the agony from wounds that failed to heal for almost a year. When we found the strange differences in her, we repeatedly asked her to reveal who had done it to her, but she declined and said that no one had. After a bit, she admitted that one of the masons had slept with her and warned her not to disclose the truth or she would be murdered.”
According to Madam Sarfowaa, the girl was playing outside her neighbor’s house when one of the construction workers who met them came around to play briefly with Cindy, then took her on his shoulder to the unfinished building where he was working to push himself on her, powerless as she was.
“I was terrified because the man threatened to kill me if I told anybody, particularly my mother,” Cindy explained. I didn’t want to die, even though I was in agony, and I didn’t want to miss seeing my mother again because she is the only one I have.”
Madam Sarfowaa clarified that her daughter is her only family since Cindy’s father has been away for years and has not contacted them.
“The cops lined up about 20 men who were working on the building for Cindy to locate the suspect,” she explained. She looked them in the eyes and said it wasn’t either of them. They made her turn back towards them and asked another mason who had arrived late to enter the line, as well as asking the girl to turn around to look down the line again.
“Cindy then returned her attention to their faces, referring to the latest guy they had added and implying that he was the one who had defiled her.”
The suspect was held in police custody for two weeks while the investigation was underway, according to Madam Sarfowaa, who shared her expectation that justice will be done.
However, she bemoaned the fact that processing went awry, and that as a result, the police and judge who were meant to be on their side turned against them and stood in favor of the convicted.
According to a tip, some of the police officers and the judge were reportedly bribed by the landlord of the building where the perpetrator worked, who was described as a wealthy individual.
“They then said the girl was perplexed, that they had no choice but to release the accused on bail. After that, I went to the police station and requested that they hand over all of my daughter’s medical records and notes, but they declined, citing the fact that they were still being used in the system at the time,” she said.
“I was boiling in the courthouse, and I could see my temperature was high; I was sweating profusely, and I went to kneel before the judge, asking her to face up to Heaven above and let justice prevail. I attempted to convince her to rethink her decision, pointing out that she was a mother who might have a daughter or granddaughter, and invoking the rule of karma, but to no avail.”
Madam Sarfowaa later said that she had to send all of her suffering to God and get funds to heal her daughter, who recovered almost a year after the incident.
Repercussions
Cindy is eight years old and has dropped out of school. Her mother has cataracts in both eyes and has only been able to get one of them replaced due to financial restrictions.
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However, finding eye drops for the corrected eye has been difficult, and she is scarcely able to function to support her needy child.
Owing to their failure to renew their advance payment, Madam Sarfowaa and Cindy have been evicted from their rented room at Ashaley-Botwe Santor, and have no choice but to seek refuge at a nearby prayer camp.
Cindy is a lovely young lady who appeals to many people who come across her. Being left alone in the house with a mother who will not be able to defend her adequately due to financial difficulties and her failure to see clearly is both pitiful and terrifying.
When it comes to Cindy’s future, she is still young, naive, and innocent; but, the concern is that will she still choose to live in unimaginable poverty with her mother for a few years, when she begins to receive words of admiration from men who choose to have a relationship with her in order to provide for all of her financial needs?
Will she let go of anything in the interests of keeping her womanhood when she’s hungry?
What will her future hold if she did not obtain financial aid to return to school? Apart from her mum, who else does she expect to rely on tomorrow?
Many individuals could be in similar circumstances to Cindy’s, or much worse, lacking the bravery or voice to speak up for themselves, owing to their poverty, meekness, lowliness, and weakness.
Who will speak for them and save them? Who will bring hope and happiness back into their lives? Who can persuade them that society is for everybody, not just a select bourgeoisie?
SOURCE: ATLFMONLINE
