Mrs Harriet Klufio, Principal Nursing Officer, Child Health Department, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, has appealed to the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to prosecute cases of sexual assault brought before them by the Department.

She noted that sometimes, the officials of the GPS treat sexual assault cases as cultural cases which need to be settled at home and therefore call on those involved to settle the matter out of court.

Mrs Klufio said this on Monday during a symposium on gender-based violence organised by the UNFPA for pupils at Osu.

She intimated that such moves by the Police do not help solve the problem, thereby enabling perpetrators of sexual violence avoid facing the full rigours of the law.

“I will also appeal to the Police to stop taking bribes from persons who perpetuate sexual offenses and allow them to face the law so that victims can also have justice,” she added.

She called on people who have been abused sexually to make use of psychotherapy as it could help heal them emotionally.

“Most of the time, victims of sexual offenses do not see the need to undergo psychotherapy treatment because they see it as unnecessary and it could also be expensive,” she said.

“It is sad to note that most of these people who are sexually abused have low socio-economic background and therefore even money for transportation for such therapy could become a problem,” she added.

Mrs Dela Sowah, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, appealed to the pupils to endeavour to report any form of abuse to their parents or those they could trust for the necessary action to be taken.

She urged the pupils not to trust anyone including close relatives, since most of the cases of sexual violence were caused by close relations or familiar people.

She encouraged parents to develop closer relationships with their children so that they (children) could confide in them at all times, especially when they face possible abuse.

Dr James Clayman, Surgeon, Department of Obstetrics Gynecology, LEKMA Hospital, noted that three out of every ten women in the country had been forced to have sex before, while one out of every three women had also been fondled before.

He appealed to parents to closely monitor the relationship of persons who usually refer to their daughters as their “wives” as some of them end up abusing them.

Madam Lawrencia Arkolie, National Coordinator, DOVVSU, cited loss of self-esteem, fear for the opposite sex and emotional trauma as some of the negative effects of sexual abuse.

She called on parents not to only educate their children on rape and defilement, but also on sodomy since it had also started emerging in the country.