Police sensitised on human rights, domestic violence

Wa, Sept. 11, GNA - The Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Upper West Regional Police Command in collaboration with Action Aid, Ghana a non- governmental organisation (NGO), has embarked on a programme to sensitise police personnel in the region on fundamental human rights and domestic violence.

It is aimed at improving the efficiency of station officers, investigators and charge office police in the handling of cases bordering on human rights and domestic violence by equipping them with relevant knowledge on fundamental human rights and domestic violence. The Regional Crime Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Baffour Appenteng, speaking at the first in a series of such workshops at Wa said similar workshops would be held in all the remaining four districts for its personnel.

Also attending the one-day forum were members of the Regional Executive of Police Officers Wives Association and other identifiable women's groups.

Detective Inspector Emmanuel Mwinsori, Acting Regional Head of WAJU who spoke on the operations of the unit and its role in maintaining a healthy family, took the participants through the various forms of domestic violence, which the unit handled, and investigated.

He said contrary to the general public perception that WAJU had come to break marriages, the unit had rather helped many couples and families to stick together, which he said could be testified by those who had the chance of dealing with the unit.

Mr Ellis Bruttoh, Regional Director of the Commission on Hunan Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) said statistics showed that women and children formed the majority of those whose rights had been abused.

He pointed out that the establishment of institutions such as CHRAJ and WAJU were part of efforts to give practical meaning to the country's support for the upholding of the fundamental human rights of all persons.

This he said was evidenced by Ghana being the first country to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. He advised husbands to desist from forcing their wives and children to join or vote for political parties of their choice other than theirs, since this violated their rights of association.