Winneba (C/R) Feb.4 GNA - The Head of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service in Winneba, Inspector Rebecca Offei Aryee, has expressed concern about the increasing rate of defilement cases in the Effutu Municipality in recent weeks. She has therefore appealed to courts handling rapes and defilement cases to speed up and also impose heavy sentence on culprits to help reverse the situation.

Inspector Aryee said these in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Winneba on Tuesday.

She said in January this year her outfit received five defilement cases, a situation she "described as very alarming". According to her, the delay in dealing with and passing judgment on defilement cases was contributing to the increasing number of cases in the municipality.

She explained that most complainants and their relatives were unable to afford transportation from their villages to courts following frequent adjournments.

Inspector Offei said her outfit received thirty-seven cases in 2008 out of which 11 were defilement cases, adding that in 2007, eight of the 46 cases received were defilement cases. She attributed the rise in the defilement cases to the lack of parental care, "adding that most parents refused to cater for their children, compelling the girls to rely on men to make a living". She said her outfit would liaise with the Department of Social Welfare in Winneba, to attend Parent's Teacher Association (PTA) meetings, where they would get the opportunity to interact with parents on the need for them to take care of their children especially the girl child.

Meanwhile, DOVVSU was collaboration with the Christian Council of Churches in Winneba, by using radio programmes to sensitize people on the need to reduce domestic violence cases in the municipality, Inspector Aryee said.

She appealed to civil organisations in the municipality to support the unit to operate efficiently, adding that sometimes it was difficult to get fuel or vehicles to effect arrest.