Human rights group, Amnesty International, has condemned the inhumane treatment meted out to two teenage boys accused of stealing 100 cedis and a mobile phone in the Eastern region.
The boys, both 14 years old, were stripped naked and paraded on the streets of Akuapem Adawso in Akuapem North Municipality in the Eastern region by their accusers on Friday, October 29, 2021.
Speaking to Starr News, Country Director for Amnesty International, Frank Doyi called on the police to swiftly investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
He said, “This is completely unaccepted, amnesty international condemns this act, and we call on the police to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to justice. If these children were indeed guilty of the alleged offense, and they have to be punished, the laws are clear in terms of what should be done. This is a violation of virginity, it is an assault to the provision of the right of dignity in our own constitution; article 15 clause 1 clear, that the dignity of all persons shall be invaluable, and this includes the dignity of children.”
For his part, the Executive Director of the Child’s Right International, Bright Appiah said the teenagers must undergo rehabilitation.
“It is going to make the children tough and they will also begin to acquire such behaviour when people do things against them, and they will not have any kind of remorse on the basis of the things that they have done. The most important thing we have to do is to ensure that they have a full understanding of what they have committed and properly engage the cooperate system to take them to a rehabilitation system and all that. So the short thing is the harm that we have caused to them.
“The long term is the psychological effect that we have made them go through and what they are going to live with for the rest of their lives and all that. So, whichever way that you look at it, the effect is so big that if they don’t put it on under rehabilitation program it’s going to affect them.”
Meanwhile, two people have been arrested at Akuapem-Adawso for stripping the teenagers naked and parading them in the streets.
According to a Police statement, the teenagers have been transferred to Accra for medical attention since they were also allegedly assaulted by the suspects.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Andy Oppong-Dankyi
