The Deputy Commissioner at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Madam Mercy Larbi, has cautioned traditional leaders to stop presiding over criminal matters, particularly sexual-related offences.
The Deputy Commissioner warned that chiefs and other traditional leaders have no authority under law to preside over such cases.
According to her, it is only the police that have the mandate in law to investigate and arraign sex offenders and other criminals before a competent court of justification.
She explained that it is also the duty of our courts to preside over such cases and sentence people who are found guilty to the deserving jail terms.
She expressed disappointment at the insufficient compensation given by some chiefs over sexually related offenses, which often leaves offenders unpunished while victims are left without justice.
She stressed the importance of handing over such offenders to the police so that an investigation can be undertaken and the culprits prosecuted and jailed as required.
She made the pronouncement at a stakeholders meeting, organised by an advocacy group on gender equality, that promotes human rights through data-driven digital technologies and capacity development called INVICTUS AFRICA in partnership with the sister civic organisation BUDGIT GHANA with the support of Ford Foundation on Womanity Index Ghana.
The event was under the theme ‘Methodology and Validation Review on the State of Gender-Based Violence: Presentation and Response’.
“Chiefs lack the legal jurisdiction to preside over cases involving defilement, rape, assault, and other offences. We have a legal procedure in place that permits the relevant institutions to deal with the situation. The police are responsible for investigating and prosecuting criminals. Offenders are brought before a competent court of justification, and if found guilty, they are sentenced to the appropriate punishment.
The least punishment for defilement is 25 years, and chiefs have no such authority when it comes to sentencing convicts to prison. They solely handle these cases, provide minimal compensation, and allow culprits to evade justice. “It is not their responsibility to preside over such cases,” she stated.
On her part, the Country Lead Manager of BUDGIT GHANA Madam Jennifer Addo-Choe Moffatt said the womanity index will aid accountability by duty bearers and provide the relevant data and evidence needed by citizens to track implementation and advocate for effective GBV prevention and response.
The research she added will focus on gender-based violence (GBV) issues, prevention and response-based laws and policies, access to justice, support services, information, and awareness, as well as budget and expenditure in Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal.
The CEO of INVICTUS AFRICA, Madam Bukky Shoni-bare, also explained that the Womanity Index is an assessment and ranking of governments performance on gender-based equality that compasses five domains: gender-base violence, women’s health, women’s economic empowerment, women’s political representation, and educational parity.
The organisation is not only going to gather data but also look at the humanitarian angles to the problem and will therefore help provide the baseline for that to happen effectively and efficiently on gender-based violence.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
