...in custody of former Spouses

Accra, Oct. 6, GNA - The Accra Regional Police Public Affairs on Thursday said it was an offence to prevent children of broken homes from seeing the other parent that did not have custody of the children. A statement signed by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Mr Jordan Quaye said Act 560 on Children emphasized that denying them access to one parent was an offence.

It said children of divorced couples had the right to visit, stay and communicate with the other parents they did not live with, except the Court decided otherwise.

According to the statement, some aggrieved parents hid children in their custody in remote villages or places so that they would be unable to contact or see their other parents. It reminded divorcees, who behaved that way that it was an offence, which created psychological problems for the affected children. The statement said the academic performance of such children could be affected negatively and advised embittered parents not to use children as baits to demand money from their former spouses. The statement, therefore, appealed to the public to alert the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Police Service about such cases.