Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, on Monday called for the reform of parts of the Criminal Code of 1960 which criminalise assault and battery, incest, rape and defilement of a child less than sixteen years.

He said criminalisation of domestic violence under the Code has its shortcomings that have manifested themselves in the difficulties inherent in the prosecution, trial and sentence of perpetrators. "Additionally, modern research has shown that the existing punitive measures under the Code, such as custodial sentences after protracted court processes, do not provide the victims with the redress they should have," he said.

Speaking at a day's consultative forum in Accra to discuss the draft bill on Domestic Violence Nana Akufo-Addo said the reform would provide victims with all the redress they should have in the trial of their cases.

The forum was attended by stakeholders from the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Ghana Police Service, Parliamentarians, Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Attorney-General's Department, Legal Research Centre, Ministry of Justice and the Judicial Service, among others.

The shortcomings such as customary servitudes, widowhood and female genital mutilation, Nana Akufo-Addo said, had often manifested in the difficulties inherent in the prosecution, trial and sentencing of perpetrators.

He noted that drafted bill is an attempt to approach matters relating to domestic violence stipulated in the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in a comprehensive manner. The bill, when enacted into law, would protect the rights of people as well as the dignity of the society.

Nana Akufo-Addo explained that victims of domestic violence over the years did not receive adequate response from the police because of stereotyped notions that such acts were family matters better settled by the family itself. "The setting up of WAJU in Accra and other regional capitals clearly shows that the police had turned over a new leaf and are now fully engaged in this particular battle," he added.

Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of the Women and Children's Affairs, said women and children are always the most vulnerable to domestic violence. She said the Ministry had set up a six-member committee to investigate the case of a 11-year-old girl who was raped two years ago and is now paralysed. Asmah urged women to report any form of assault meted to them to WAJU for immediate action.