Koforidua, May 02, GNA - Prosecution of defilement cases in the Eastern Region has become difficult due to the problem of determining the exact age of victims.

Most of the victims did not have birth certificates and in most cases relatives could not give any tangible evidence or information to enable the police determine appropriate ages of victims for prosecution.

Police Inspector Constance Addo of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVSSU) of the Ghana Police Service announced this at the Eastern Regional Population Advisory Committee meeting at Koforidua. The meeting attended by various heads of institutions to dialogue on how strategies for the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy(GPRS) could be achieved in the region.

It focused on eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal basic education, gender equity and women empowerment, combat of HIV/AIDS and environmental degradation.

Leading a discussion on gender equity and empowerment at the meeting, She noted that most suspects were freed for lack of evidence in determining the ages of their victims.

Police Inspector Addo said defilement could be prosecuted for victims under 16 years, but most of the victims looked more than 16 years or the ages provided resulting in the discharge of suspects because their victims had no birth certificates to support their claim.

She said another hindrance to the discharge of gender equity was the inability of most parents of victims of defilement to purchase the medical forms that formed part of evidence to prosecute criminal cases such as rape and defilement in court.

"Because victims of defilement and their parents could not afford the little cost involved in preparing documents for the prosecution of cases, they often take the matter home to be settled amicably with a little compensation while the suspect is let off the hook, " she added.

Police Inspector Addo education in the mass media and other forums had proved futile and called for the establishment of a special fund to cater for the prosecution of defilement cases that was on the increase. Mr Kofi Abinah, Eastern Regional Director of National Population Council (NPC), stressed the need for intensification of advocacy on the registration of births.

He expressed concern at the behaviour of some parents on the teaching of sex education in schools and called on the Ghana Education Service(GES) to make sex education part of the school curriculum.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, Eastern Regional Director of Health Services suggested that women's Day programmes could be used to raise funds for the DOVSSU to cater for medical bills and other expenses incurred to prosecute defilement and rape cases.

He said to achieve gender equity and women empowerment as part of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) there should be a focus on all forms of impediment, including provision of funds that hindered access to justice onthe part of women.

Dr Appiah-Denkyira called for the active involvement of queen mothers in all the targets set for the MDGs such as achieving universal basic education and reduction in maternal and childhood mortality. He said queen mothers were supposed to be influential in their respective communities therefore; they must readily partner any organization or individual on

any projects targeted by Government under the MDGs. Dr Appiah-Denkyira said as part of measures in combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other dieses, eight other hospitals, in addition to the Eastern Regional, Agormenya and Atua Hospitals, had been designated as HIV treatment centres in the region.

He said 400 communities had been identified in the region as commuity outreach centres to treat malaria and other ailments. 02 May 07