Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madam Cynthia Morrison, has hinted a meeting with the Chief Justice over a story involving a 10-year-old girl who was left bedridden after being defiled twice.
The story was carried by Atinka FM.
The meeting, according to the minister, will among other things discuss the period within which our courts try rape cases.
Madam Cynthia Morrison made the statement while speaking at the National Dialogue on sexual violence against girls and boys at La-palm Hotel in Accra.
The statement was necessitated after the organizers of the programme, Plan International and Youth Advocate Ghana showed the minister a 5-minute excerpt of Atinka TV’s documentary by Atinka News Editor, Regina Asamoah involving a 10-year old class 1 pupil of Anyaa D/A Government School who was allegedly raped by a class mate’s father in 2015.
The case has been dragging in court for the past four years, while the accused has been on bail ever since.
“The video is disheartening and I must say that I am sad. What pleasure will you derive from sleeping with a 10-year old girl. I have this video and some other rape stories on my desk, I don’t know what goes into the judgement of cases like this, but I will meet the chief Justice and I am sure we will make head ways…”, she said.
Background
On 30th July, 2015, Atinka FM first broke story of a 10-year-old girl who was left bedridden after being defiled twice by a man whom she alleged was her schoolmate’s father.
The girl was a class one pupil of Anyaa D/A Government School who stayed with her Aunt at Anyaa.
Interactions with the girl on her sick bed at the Korle-Bu Children’s Ward revealed that the suspect defiled her in a bush on 14th and 17th July, 2015 respectively on her way to school.
The man known to the victim as “Jessica Papa” (Jessica’s Father) is said to be an auto mechanic who also lives in the area.
Pediatricians at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital confirmed in a report that the victim was paralysed as a result of “forced penetration” by the suspect.
According to the victim, that the man started assaulting her when she was at KG 2 but threatened to kill her or hire people to kidnap and kill her if she ever told her parents.
After several efforts by doctors to get her to walk again after two separate medical treatments, the family resorted to herbal medication. The 13- year-old victim now partially walks after four years .
Although her family has relocated to a new neighborhood, the victim says she lives in fear .
The family, however, believes that justice would be served.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu
