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ER DOVSSU Coordinator cites lack of financial support to clamp down on perpetrators of SGBV
The Eastern Regional DOVSSU Coordinator, Police Chief Superintendent, Mrs Florence Anaman has revealed that the lack of support, especially financial for victims of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) was a big challenge to clamping down on perpetrators through legal action.
According to her, most of the victims were of poor backgrounds and found it difficult to foot the financial burden associated with the legal actions, including payments of medical endorsement fees.
“Unfortunately, these developments and financial constraints have become a huge barrier in making headway in gender-based and sexual violence issues and we need to address it,” she said.
Mrs Anaman made these statements during a town hall meeting on the Gender-Based Violence campaign, as part of the “Our City Project” which formed part of a three-year Action for Youth Development programme (AfYD) implemented by Star-Ghana, four civil society organisations, New Juaben South Municipal Assembly and National Youth Authority in Koforidua.
The project which was funded by the Botnor Foundation was aimed at strengthening and enabling youth inclusion to influence governance and access quality goods and services within the municipality.
Mrs Anaman stated that even though the Domestic Violence Support Fund was set up years ago, it has been difficult accessing the funds to help victims of SGBV.
She said there was a need for the government to operationalize the funds and allocate it to the right authorities for usage to help such victims and educate them on how to access it.
That, she said, would reduce the financial burden they experienced when legal actions on SGBV cases were taken, adding it would also encourage the victims to report SGBV issues to authorities when they experienced it.
For her part, the Project Manager of Star-Ghana Foundation, Dr Ernestina Tetteh urged young ones to report to appropriate authorities when they experience SGBV for redress.
She said most often, victims of such abuses were young due to several factors and stressed the need to encourage them to report perpetrators to be punished to deter others from abusing young ones.
Dr Tetteh indicated that as part of the empowerment of the youth, there was also the need to build youth’s capacity on SGBV issues to create awareness and empower them to stand up for themselves.
“Young people must stand up against any form of wrongdoing or crime, by empowering themselves and their peers to stand for their rights in matters of Gender-Based Violence and all other issues which affect them,” she added and stated that such education should be organised frequently to encourage effective reporting on such issues.
For his part, the Municipal Chief Executive Officer of the New Juaben South Municipal Assembly, Mr Isaac Appau-Gyasi expressed his appreciation to Star-Ghana Foundation and their partners for collaborating with the assembly to organise such education for the youth.
He stated that SGBV was criminal which should not be overlooked and called on the youth not to allow themselves to be intimidated but to report such issues to the appropriate authorities for redress.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
