Coronavirus increases human rights cases in Dormaa Area - CHRAJ

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) last year caused an increase in number of cases documented for non-maintenance of children, women's and child right abuses in the Dormaa enclave of Bono Region.

Mr Eric K. Aboyer, the Dormaa District Director of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Dormaa Central Municipality of the Bono Region.

He explained that workers, particularly those whose economic activities and forms of livelihoods were either adversely affected or halted by the deadly pandemic, and therefore could not provide for their families were mostly the culprits through the least provocation.

Mr. Aboyer said women particularly reported their husbands who shirked their responsibilities in taking care of their children.

"Section 47 of the Children's Act 1998, Act 560 maintains that any person "legally liable or contributes to the welfare of a child is under a duty to supply necessities of health, life, shelter and basic education".

Thus "a man cannot say I'm not working so I cannot cater for the upkeep of my child. You brought the child to life so as you eat, so you must provide for him/her too", he added.

The District Director expressed worry about circumstances where some men pushed all responsibilities of the child to the women, saying “that is not right because child upkeep must be a collective responsibility of both parents”, he added.

Giving statistics on case summary, Mr. Aboyer stated 20 cases were recorded for non-maintenance of children, custody, seven, denial of pregnancy, five, non-maintenance of spouse, eight, marital causes, 20, spousal battle, two, women rights abuses, 37 and child rights, 27.

The rest are 17 non-payment of utilities, 17, property rights, 39, defamation of character, one and domestic violence, three.

He said his office had intensified education for awareness creation to reverse the increasing number of cases in the area.