109,784 cases of domestic violence recorded

Accra, June 2, GNA - Chief Superintendent of Police, Madam Elizabeth Dassah, National Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), on Wednesday expressed concern about the high level of violence still perpetuated against women and children despite interventions by stakeholders to curb or minimize the menace.

Addressing 40 police personnel posted to the Unit at a capacity building workshop in Accra, Madam Dassah said the unit recorded 109,784 cases of violence against women and children between 1999 to May 2010. She called for an all out action against the menace since it did not only violate the fundamental human rights of the victims but also impacted negatively on the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals such as health.

She expressed her appreciation to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for sponsoring the workshop and for its numerous assistance to the Unit.

"We thank the UNFPA Ghana for all its assistance to us including the provision of office equipment, vehicles, field trips and the renovation of our office accommodation," she added.

Deputy Commander of Police (DCOP) George Anko-Bil, Director General in charge of Services, Ghana Police Service, noted that the workshop was organized to ensure efficient and effective discharge of the mandate of the Unit and the Police Service.

"Training is a key component of the five-year Strategic Plan of DOVVSU and you have the full support of the Police Service to ensure that personnel have adequate training in Domestic Violence, gender based violence and counselling," he said.

He cautioned the bad nut within the service to desist from their ways since the Police Administration would do all it could to identify and weed them out.

"I have been told that the Coordinating Director and her team have started vetting personnel of the Unit to ensure that such personnel bent on derailing the good works of DOVVSU are brought to book," he said. According to him, the Unit had over the years built a reputable name for itself as the first port of call for victims of domestic violence and would not compromise on the image calved for itself. An Overview of the four day training workshop included lectures on the Domestic Violence Bill, Rights and Legal Framework for Survivors of Abuse, Counselling Skills, Prosecution and the Role of Investigators and Drafting of Charge Sheet. 2 June 10