The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Andrews Kumah, the Deputy Bono Regional Police Commander has urged personnel of the service going through domestic violence and abuses in their families to report to the service.
“We are aware that some of us are going through human rights abuses and gender-based violence in their homes silently and shamefully”, he stated, when speaking at the launch of the “30 Days of Activism Against Domestic Violence” in Sunyani.
The Bono Regional Office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) is implementing the campaign to control domestic violence and human rights abuses in the region.
ACP Kumah said: “As police officers we can’t be strong activists against gender-based violence if we ourselves are victims in our homes”, adding that “we know many women are suffering, however some men are also suffering from gender-based violence too”.
He said gender-based violence remained the worst form of human rights abuse, inimical to the holistic growth and development of the victims, noting that the victims went through serious physical and emotional pains.
ACP Kumah described the campaign as laudable and urged the DOVVSU to intensify it and bring the situation under control in the region.
In a highlight, the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Beatrice Korsah, the Bono Regional Coordinator of the DOVVSU, said the campaign would be extended to lorry stations, markets, communities and other public places.
She urged victims to maintain their trust and confidence, and report cases to the DOVVSU, assuring their security and confidentiality.
ASP Korsah gave the assurance that perpetrators would be prosecuted and urged the public to support the campaign by providing reliable information to the DOVVSU.
Mr Peter Biya Bah, the Bono Regional Director of the Department of Social Welfare noted that cases of gender-based violence were common in the region and at the community levels and called on the government to adequately resource the DOVVSU to spearhead and sustain the campaign.
He expressed worry that the DOVVSU in the region lacked vehicles which had slowed down their work and appealed to the government to provide the Unit with a pick vehicle to facilitate their work.
GNA
