Mrs Angela Oboshie Torto, an Assistant State Attorney in Brong-Ahafo has admonished parents to take proper care of their children’s birth certificates to facilitate the rapid prosecution of defilement cases. She gave the advice at the first quarter Regional Multi-Sectoral Child Protection Committee meeting in Sunyani. The Committee is made up of representatives from the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, the Attorney General’s Department, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Departments of Women, Birth and Deaths, NGOs and Department of Children. Mrs Torto noted with regret that, cases of defilement were on the ascendancy in the region and because of lack of evidence on the part of complainants during prosecution, perpetrators went scot-free. She appealed to parents not to tolerate the resolution of defilement cases at home, but rather report them to the police for the necessary sanctions to be applied to culprits. Mrs Mercy Larbi, Assistant Legal Officer of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, disclosed that the Commission intended to establish human rights clubs in schools to help inculcate the rights of the child in children. She said non-child maintenance formed 70 percent of cases recorded in the Region this year and urged the public to report all forms of child abuse to the Commission. Mr George Yaw Ankomah, Deputy Regional Director of Department of Children, said the department had introduced a ‘Child Help Line’, a facility that is easily accessible to all children through phone, chat/online, concern boxes mobile vans, radio and postal. Through the facility, voices of children would be heard and also provided protection and care in emergency situations. Mr Ankomah said the Child Help Line has a national coverage, operated 24 hours and was free of charge with a three to four digit number (MTN 1622) and added that it would be used to assist the marginalized as well. He explained that, the formation of a Child Help Line formed part of UNICEF’s recommendations made during the 2006 at its meeting with the Government of Ghana Rights and Protection Partners Review meeting. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs together with its partners was supposed to establish the Child Help Line to enable the general public to report abuse cases to the police. Mr Ankomah urged the public to freely access the facility to help minimize the spate of child abuse in the country. Source: GNA