Pg 11 published September 30. 2007
Story Rebecca Quaicoe Duho
GHANA has joined 27 other African countries to establish a toll free helpline for victims of domestic abuse.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Hajia Alima Mahama, who launched the pilot helpline in Accra for women and children in abusive conditions, mentioned Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Nigeria, Uganda, Kenya, Malawi and Senegal as some of the African countries that had established such lines.
The helpline, with MTN number 1622, which was a collaborative effort between the ministry and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, is aimed at giving emergency assistance and link to women and children who are in abusive situations.
The minister said the helpline formed part of the government’s efforts at promoting the rights, survival, development and protection of women and children.
She said the creation of a helpline for children was one of the recommendations by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child for member countries to establish “accessible and child-friendly reporting systems and services such as telephone helplines through which children can report violence, speak to counsellors in confidence and also ask for support and advice”.
The minister said the helpline was a collaborative effort with other agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN), Ghana, the Department of Social Welfare and the Child Helpline International and added that the partners were working around the clock to get more helplines spread across the country, with an aim of strengthening the existing structures in promoting and protecting the rights of women and children in the country.
Hajia Alima called on the people not to hesitate to call the number to either give information or lodge a complaint for the necessary action to be taken.
She also called on all partners to ensure that they were ready to receive referrals to address some of the cases which would be received, saying that by this, “we will help improve the lives of our dear women and children who are the most vulnerable”.
The Deputy Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Mr Daniel Dugan, in a welcoming address, reiterated the fact that women and children were those whose rights were most violated, saying that it was against the country’s Constitution and other international treaties signed and adopted in the country.
He said it had, therefore, become imperative on stakeholders to ensure that women and children were given the needed support and care.
There were solidarity messages from UNICEF, DOVVSU, ANPPCAN and children from Curious Minds, a child’s rights organisation, who all pledged their support to the success of the helpline.
