General News of Thursday, 29 April 2004

Source: PFM

WAJU Shocked By A Horrific Complaint

Officials of the Women and Juvenile Unit in Accra have been thrown into shock by a complaint filed by Helena Ankoma, a 30 year-old trader at Kasoa, whose husband she claimed has allegedly gone to perform customary rites to her family to marry her younger sister, Rebecca.

Narrating the story to Peace FM, Helena who already has two kids with her husband, said she took Rebecca to live with them after she completed Secondary school a few years ago. The husband whose name has been withheld is a businessman dealing in spare parts at Kokompe, impregnated her younger sister and later went behind her to perform customary rites before her parents.

Helena who could not stand this unthinkable situation, compounded by her husband?s assault on her, has left their matrimonial home at Kasoa, to stay at Nkawkaw where she hails from, leaving his 27 year old younger sister and her 4 year old boy as well as her mother to stay with the man.

What shocked WAJU officials to their bones, was the fact that the parents of Helena accepted the drinks sent in by their in-law asking for the hand of their younger daughter, while knowing very well the elder daughter is married to the man.

Helena, all along did not know anything about her parents? action. Meanwhile the legal department of WAJU says it does not have any law in their books under which the husband of the two sisters can be formally charged. But an official hinted that the unit is making arrangement to have Helena go through some counselling to alleviate her from her trauma.