Rape Down, Defilement Up

The Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service this year recorded a drastic fall in rape cases.

Statistics of cases reported to WAJU and made available to the ADM revealed that 79 rape cases were recorded from January to October this year as against last year's 119, a decrease of 20%. Reported rape cases for the whole of 2002 were 134, the statistic shows.

However, the statistics indicate that there has been a sharp increase in defilement from last year's 425 to 433 (January October) this year.

The whole of last year recorded defilement cases of 533 but WAJU is yet to compile this year's November and December to get a clear picture.

The Public Relations Officer of WAJU, Inspector Elvis Bawa Sadongo told the ADM in an interview that the decrease in rape and the steady increase in defilement is due to a legislation passed last year to check the menace.

Inspector Sadongo said the legislation, Act 663, ensures that defilement and rape culprits are regarded as suspects of treason and murder among other first degree felonies making them ineligible for bail.

Anyone found guilty of rape would be sentenced to a minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 25. Defilement attracts a minimum sentence of seven years and a maximum of 25.

He said another contributing factor to the decline in rape is the vigorous campaign by WAJU and other organizations against rape and other cases last year. He said the cases could have come down further if the Unit had reached out more on the new legislation.

Statistics for other cases are assault 1456 for 2002 (December) as against this year's1297 (October), threat 652 for 2002 (December) as against 405 this year (October) and harm 40 for 2002 and 19 this year (October).

Incest; 16 last year compared to eight this year (October), abduction; 80 last year and 48 this year (September), attempted abortion; 19 last year and 14 this year (October) and non child maintenance; 1,899 for 2002 as against 2,579 (October) this year.