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Children advised to report abuse in the home

Accra, Oct. 12, GNA - Mr Freeman Tettey, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, on Tuesday urged children to report any form of abuse that takes place in the home to their teachers or to the Police for necessary action.

He said abusing a child physically, emotionally or sexually was a criminal offence and it was important that children were taught to report such acts to help to make the society a better place for all. Mr Tettey said this at a symposium organized by the Ga Presbytery Ministers' Spouses Conference of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana on the theme: "The Neglected Child, Dysfunctional Families and the Effect on the Child."

The symposium, which marks the 40th anniversary of the Ministers' Spouse Conference, brought together school children from selected schools in Accra as well as wives of pastors and some members and friends of the Presbyterian Church. Mr Tettey advised parents not to adopt abusive methods to correct their children, saying, "There are many ways of correcting a child so don't be in a hurry to physically abuse your children when they go wrong." He explained that insulting children was a form of emotional abuse, which was also criminal and advised parents to spend more time training their children before age seven since behaviours were formed by that age.

Mr Tettey also pointed out that sexual abuse was among the most frequently reported forms of abuse and noted that most perpetrators of child sexual abuse usually came from close family relations. Mrs Georgina Mensah, an official of the Osu Correctional Centre, said it was the responsibility of parents to educate their children on sexual behaviour.

She expressed worry about dysfunctional families and the effect they had on the child, explaining that a dysfunctional family was one where the parents did not play their roles well. Mrs Mensah urged them to love their children unconditionally whether they exhibited good behaviour or not. She further urged parents to allow their children to be involved in recreational activities since the lack of it resulted in making the children feel isolated from their peers. "Some parents are over-protective," she said, adding that this was an unhealthy parental sign. "We should always allow the children to explore the world around them."