By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, April 06, GNA – Mrs. Shahadatu Nima Abubakari, Northern Regional President, Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations (GFD), has cautioned opinion leaders against shielding individuals who sexually abuse persons with disability (PwDs).
She expressed concern that some community leaders defended perpetrators, often family members, without considering the vulnerability and emotional trauma of the victims.
She said: “Most of the rape and defilement cases involving our members are often preferred to be settled at the family level because of opinion leaders’ interference. This is a clear abuse of their rights, and it further emboldens the perpetrators to continue to abuse them.”
Mrs. Abubakari gave the caution at a stakeholders’ meeting in Tamale aimed at strengthening the capacity of law enforcement agencies in the Northern Region to handle Gender-Based Violence (GBV) cases effectively.
The event was organised by the Centre for Research and Development Alternatives (CREDA), an NGO, with funding support from Norsaac.
It was part of the Ending Violence and Abuse Project (EVAP) under the Volunteer Cooperation Programme (VCP), implemented in the Sagnarigu, Nanumba South, and Kpandai Districts.
The forum brought together representatives of government agencies and leaders from the youth wing of the PwDs.
During discussions, PwDs raised concerns about sexual harassment and rape, discrimination in accessing quality education and healthcare, and high unemployment rates.
Mrs. Abubakari called for strict enforcement of laws that protected PwDs and guaranteed their fundamental human rights.
The forum also focused on identifying challenges faced by PwDs in the project’s target areas and developing measures to address them.
It provided a platform for agencies to share their mandates, public engagement strategies, and available support services to improve the livelihoods of PwDs.
Mr. Abukari Iddrisu, Programmes Manager at the CREDA, said the event was designed to foster stronger collaboration between PwDs and government agencies responsible for their welfare.
He emphasised the need for state institutions to work together to ensure that cases of violence particularly those involving young women and adolescent girls with disabilities received the necessary attention.
Mr. Inusah Iddrisu, Principal Public Education Officer and Investigator at the Northern Regional Office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) said many abuse cases involving PwDs went unreported making investigations and prosecutions difficult.
He said: “In most cases, victims withdraw their complaints or refuse to provide further evidence hindering prosecution.”
Mr. Bruce Hammond, Head of Social Welfare and Community Development at Nanumba South District encouraged PwDs to join disability associations to create a unified voice that could effectively advocate for government and stakeholder interventions.
GNA
EA/BM