The victim being lashed by two adult in Tamale
The Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, has condemned the barbaric act of lashing a teenage girl in Tamale because she reported home late.
In a video posted on social media, a girl believed to be in her early teens is seen being horse-whipped in public by a young adult while two others held her down.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection condemned the act, describing it as shameful and called on the Ghana Police Service and the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service to immediately investigate and prosecute the matter as the perpetrators are identifiable.
The statement added that the ministry respects parents’ rights to discipline their children, however, those rights are governed by law as contained in the Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560), and that parents who violate children’s rights are liable to arrest and prosecution.
“The extreme acts of violence administered on the young female under the guise of discipline, qualifies to be described as a serious violation of her inalienable rights as a citizen of Ghana, who should not suffer such violence, under any circumstances,” according to the statement.
It further said there are several forms of non-violent punishments that can be meted out to errant children without damaging them through physical injury and psychological and emotional trauma.
With a high incidence of gender-based violence in domestic settings over the decades, it became necessary to pass the Domestic Violence Act in 2007 to remind parents and the general public that abuse of whatever kind at home is prohibited and punishable by law.
According to the gender minister, “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that Ghanaians, after 61 years of independence, respect and protect the rights of the vulnerable. Women and girls have the same rights as men and boys in Ghana. Children and young people must also remember that rights go with responsibilities; and they must learn to be responsible for their actions.”
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale