A member of Parliament’s select committee on Gender and Children says they will be recommending to the House the enactment of stricter laws in dealing with perpetrators of defilement.

Charles Bintin believes a longer jail term for culprits will help in eradicating the menace.

Some Ghanaians have said the minimum sentence of seven years and maximum of 25 years is not deterring enough for perpetrators.

The Saboba legislator was speaking when the committee visited the Central Region to deal with some issues of sexual abuse and teenage pregnancy.

The Committee visited the Region on the orders of the Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Ocquaye after a six-year-old was allegedly raped at Assin Adadietem in last year.

Speaker Ocquaye also charged the Gender Minister to keep a close eye on the case warning against a family settlement.

On October 13, 2017, a 16-year old boy allegedly defiled the six-year-old child while her parents were attending to social functions.

He was emphatic criminal cases cannot be settled out of court.

During their visit, the committee took time to educate the chiefs and people at a durbar at Assin Asamankese about sexual abuse and how to prevent it.

The Deputy Ranking Member, Francis Dakura Bawana who addressed the gathering said there is everything wrong for an elderly man to go sleeping with a four-year-old.

“It is not right…so we need to protect our children…so let’s have a responsibility towards our children as a society.

“The innocent children are looking up to us to protect them if we don’t then they will get into a lot of trouble and we won’t have a peace of mind,” he said.