I'll return to court to force gov't to activate Domestic Violence Fund - Kpebu

A private legal practitioner who sued government to activate the Domestic Violence Fund and won is threatening to go back to court to compel government to implement the court’s ruling.

Martin Kpebu says six months after the court’s ruling, government is yet to activate the Fund for victims of defilement and rape.

Joy FM has been focusing on stories of defiled girls with its campaign #JusticeforKids, to help deal with issues of defilement including situations where many girls are left to fend for themselves after their perpetrators are jailed.

The campaign was triggered after several reported cases of alleged rape in the Central regional town of Assin Adadientem including the defilement of a four-year-old by another minor. 

An Accra High Court in April this year ordered government to allocate money to the domestic violence support fund to provide free medical care for victims of domestic violence.

Justice Anthony Yeboah granted the reliefs sought by a private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu after the Attorney-General's Department failed to enter an appearance.

During proceedings, Martin Kpedu revealed that the Fund, a statutory creation has not received a dime from government, at least, 10 years after it was created by the Domestic Violence Act passed in 2007.

A case in point is the story of a 20-year old victim of incest who has been forced to turn to prostitution to fend for herself in the Ashanti region. 

Her father who raped her was arrested and put before the court. She returned to her 85-year-old grandmother but could not cope with the thought of being a burden on the old lady so she started searching for a job.

This brought her into contact with some friends who introduced her to smoking marijuana and later prostitution for survival. 

She now lives in a kiosk and craves for a reformed life but has no idea how that can be achieved.

Hope is not lost as Mr Kpebu said he will return to court to compel government to activate the Domestic Violence Fund to cater for such victims.

"The court said it was giving government six months to put in funds so since it's been six months now, I will maybe a month or two, perhaps government is still gathering [funds]. 

"If it doesn't [happen] perhaps sometime December or January we will return to court," he said. 

About the Domestic Violence Fund

The Act states in Section 29: Establishment of Fund "There is established by this Act a Victims of Domestic Violence Support Fund."

Stating the objectives of the Fund, the Act further explains that the Fund shall be applied;

(a) towards the basic material support of victims of domestic violence,

(b)for training the families of victims of domestic violence,

(c) for any matter connected with the rescue, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of domestic violence,

(d) towards the construction of reception shelters for victims of domestic violence in regions and districts, and

(e) for training and capacity building of persons connected with the provision of shelter, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Sources of money for the Fund

The moneys for the Fund include

(a) voluntary contributions to the Fund from individuals, organizations and the private sector;

(b) moneys approved by Parliament for payment into the Fund, and

 (c) moneys from any other source approved by the Minister responsible for finance.

Ghana recorded 84,142 cases of sexual and gender-based violence nationwide from 2009 to 2013.

Statistics from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service indicated that 15,426 cases of sexual and gender-based violence with 14,415 assault cases on women were recorded in 2014.

Read Full Story