Editorial
Let’s back calls to review defilement law
Dear Editor,
I write to back a call by a High Court Judge to review the country’s laws on defilement to ensure that such cases get to their logical conclusion.
In the previous edition of your paper, the judge, Justice Gloria Mensah-Bonsu called for a second look at Section 101(1) of the Criminal Offences Act 29.
That in her view could ensure proper compensation for defilement victims.
According to the report, a culprit in such cases was liable on summary conviction to a term of imprisonment of seven years minimum or 25 years maximum.
But being a strictly liability law with no option of a fine, it has become difficult, by my layman understanding, to fine the culprits to compensate the victims, especially in cases where the act results in pregnancy.
I want to appeal to the authorities, specifically Parliament to consider this human right centered call to begin the process.
As it is now, some families of victims of such crimes would consider monetary ‘gains’ over the punishment to be meted out to the culprit.
Sometimes, one cannot begrudge them for that judgment because their living conditions may be poor and could feed on what the culprit would use to buy their ‘silence’.
But when they are aware the case could fetch them something substantial in addition to a conviction, they may cooperate to ensure the match gets to its logical conclusion.
Adwoa Wadie,
Accra
Editorial
Check cases of drug abuse among youth of Shukura and environs
Dear Sir,
I write this letter as a concerned citizen of the country to bring to your notice the increasing rate of the intake of hard drugs by the youth of Shukura and its environs.
This issue is of great concern because of the negative impact of the hard drugs such as tobacco, cannabis and heroine on the youth in the area.
The situation has created a state of insecurity as residents find it difficult to walk around at night for fear of being attacked by these drug addicts.
Strangely, there is a police station in the community but police personnel either don’t show any interest in their activities or struggle to track their activities.
This has given them some freedom to misbehave around the area and endanger the lives of the people.
At this stage, it has become important for the residents in the community to collaborate with the police in addressing the issue.
I want to implore the police in the area to conduct patrol exercise in the area, especially at nights.
That aside, I would want to urge the authorities to embark a campaign on drug addiction in the area to let the youth know and understand the dangers and harm drugs exposes them to.
Chris Nii Narh,
Shukura
Editorial
Discuss mental health disorders among health professionals
Dear Editor,
As individuals who visit health facilities, we are always expectant of being received by medical professionals in very good moods.
These same medical professionals, including nurses, have always been on the receiving end of a backlash for failure to do so.
However, what we often fail, as citizens and patients, to realise is that these medical professionals are also humans who are faced with a lot of stress and burnout, a situation that affects their mental health.
Although there is no data on mental health of health workers in Ghana from the Mental Health Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), some research statistics could be obtained from some public research.
For instance, a comparative study conducted by researchers at the Volta Regional and Ho Teaching hospitals in August this year revealed moderate and high levels of stress among the nurses in these two hospitals.
Mental health issues among health workers in Ghana is one that is less talked about.
Its negative impact was largely felt during the COVID-19 period, when medical professionals had to work for longer hours. Imagine a nurse who is stressed out and is required to give an injection to a patient.
This is why there is the need for the government and the GHS to address the issue of mental health among medical professionals with all seriousness to avert any negative outcome.
Benjamin Arcton-Tettey,
Accra