The death through suicide by a twelve-year-old girl while living with somebody as a house help is a source of consternation. Above all, it calls for a thorough investigation on the part of both law enforcement and social workers to establish what triggered the unfortunate end of Princess Ntiamoah two months after leaving her parents.
It would enrich our knowledge further about why in this day and age children as young as twelve would be compelled to part with the loving care of their parents for another person’s whose affection is incomparable with their mothers or fathers.
The subject under review is not an ordinary suicide by an adult but a teenager who under normal circumstances should not be subjected to the level of stress that can send an adult considering suicide and even ending up committing the crime.
The outcome of an investigation should be able to calm our nerves. The suicide scene and the non appearance of telltale marks on the corpse have both superficially suggested suicide pending autopsy.
For a girl that age to commit suicide, she must have gone through an unbearable mental trauma, too much for her age to bear.
She was plucked from her parents in Asamankese in the Eastern Region and handed over to a woman who could be a family member or not, to serve as a house help.
If there is a law about whether girls that age should not be sent into the labour market as a house help, those culpable for doing so should therefore be prosecuted after due investigation.
It would be worthwhile knowing also whether Princess Ntiamoah was enrolled in a school or was a full time house help during her brief but tormenting period she stayed with her ‘madam’.
There are a lot of social issues many Ghanaians both in rural and urban areas do not know. Handing over a child to another person to go and work as a house help especially for teenagers, infringes the law and those who are caught in this web should suffer the laid down consequences.
The plight of Princess Ntiamoah is heart-wrenching and we would demand of the Nkawie Police to take up the issue seriously. The outcome of the investigations should be made public.
The death of Princess Ntiamoah should not be in vain but should trigger society to stand up against the teenage house help industry. Teenage girls should be in school and not doing domestic chores like scrubbing the floor of a non-parent for pittance.