Lamptey-Mills case, test for Ghanaians

Ghanaians have been asked to consider the case in which Mr Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, Proprietor of Great Lamptey-Mills Institute, impregnated and forcibly married a girl as a litmus test for the country's fight against child abuse.

This is because Ghana was the first country to ratify the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, in 1990, signalling to the= world a desire to ensure that the treaty was respected.

These were contained in statement signed by Mr Abdul Malik Jeleel, Executive Director of Ghana Media Advocacy Programme (G-MAP), a child-focused non-governmental organization.

It said apart from providing health, education, food, clothing and shelter, it was also the duty of adults to create a safe environment for the development of children.

The statement said out-of-court settlement of the case should not be tolerated and urged "child rights groups, parents, religious bodies, traditional authorities and civil society organizations to ensure that the victim receive justice through the legal process to serve as a deterrent to other adults who sexually prey on children."

It called on the Ministry of Women and children's Affairs to support the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service to pursue the case to its logical conclusion and ensure psychological rehabilitation for the minor.

The statement called on the Ghana Education Service to initiate the necessary sanctions against Mr Lamptey-Mills to serve as a warning to school authorities who sexually exploit children.

It commended the media for providing an effective platform for the discussion of the case and asked journalists to sustain the fight against=

human rights violations.