Rape Kills Girl, 9
She died at the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital in Sunyani.
According to Madam Yaa Rebecca Yebokowa, who adopted the girl barely a year ago, Boateng subjected the deceased to five rounds of rough sex and left her bleeding with severe wounds and swellings around her genitals, with her anus virtually torn to pieces.
Abena, who was referred from the Goaso Government Hospital in the Asunafo North District to Sunyani on 27th November, finally gave up the ghost on 13th December last year.
Rebecca Yebokowa noted that she adopted the girl after all her five children had died.
She said Abena had been in good health until somewhere in November when she noticed that the girl’s legs were wobbly.
She disclosed that she started treating the girl with hot water and some drugs she bought from the drug store, adding that regardless of the treatment, Abena was not getting any better, compelling her to send the girl to her parents, Kwaku Darko and Mariama Kondoru, both peasant farmers and residents of Gambia No 1 in the Asutifi District.
Auntie Rebecca related that the parents then took Abena to the Goaso Government Hospital where she was first admitted.
According to the Head of Social Welfare Unit of the B/A Regional Hospital at Sunyani, Ms Olivia Avudzega, Rebecca Yebokowa had told her outfit that Abena was initially tight-lipped about who had had carnal knowledge of her when the hospital disclosed that she was raped.
However upon further interrogations, she named Boateng as having had sex with her five times.
Armed with this truth, Madam Rebecca, instead of reporting the incident to the Police, decided with some elders in the town to settle the issue at home.
Ms. Avudzega noted that at the said meeting, it was resolved that the suspect, Boateng, worked to care for the poor girl, a decision which was accepted by all parties who did not even know the biological parents of the girl.
The Social Welfare Unit Head, who spoke with grief, said Abena was brought to Sunyani in a bad state, recalling that the poor girl could neither sit nor stand on her feet because of pains and swellings all over her body.
She told DAILY GUIDE that Abena never opened her swollen eyes; neither did she stop groaning till she finally gave up the ghost.
Due to the pathetic nature of Abena’s case, coupled with the financial status of her parents, her bill which amounted to GH¢189.90, had been waived by the hospital.
On December 21, an autopsy was conducted on the body, which had since been released to the family for burial.
She was the first of the three children of her parents.
Meanwhile, the Tarkwa Police were reported to have arrested Boateng, 36, and would soon put him before court.
The husband of Abena’s adopted mother, who was said to have collapsed after learning of the incident, was also recuperating.
Source: D Guide
As the child of Ghanaian parents I am enraged and embarassed that you can write a story such as this with such disengagement and an almost indifferent title. This is a horrific tale about a paedophilic murder and should be headlined as such. The farmer who raped and murdered this child needs to be brought to trial quickly and the proceedings should be given mass national coverage in both the written and visual press. This "defiling" of children by adults which is so prolific in Ghana and Africa should be called what it is - the vile perversion of paedophiles. By making an example of this evil man, other deviants will think again and the ignorant offenders will be made to see the abomination that is the crime they commit. Only by you making this your top story and other stories like it can paedophilia be stopped. It is a disgusting crime and one in which victims die voiceless. This girl was murdered by a pervert who has so far been simply made to pay her hospital bills. What a disgrace! Is murder now a crime punishable financially??? Start a campaign and make this girl's life have counted for something
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There are several things that appal me about this story. The main ones being:
I like to think that at the minimum, journalists are people who produce objective pieces containing research & thought for the attention of the masses. It is therefore extremely sad to read this tragedy & notice that the journalist has completely failed to capture the pathos of the situation. Even worse, and I would hope this was not the intention of the paper in this tragic matter, the way in which the story is communicated almost induces humour & laughter, with words like hefty, torn to pieces amongst the culprits.
Secondly, I find it ludicrous that in this case, medical staff did not report the case to the police immediately, but rather the now dead child’s “guardian” had the option of deciding to “settle the matter at home”.
That line alone is testimony to the blasé nature in which child rape cases can be viewed in our country by people who should know better. Such a despicable crime, and that’s clearly what child RAPE (not defiled) is, should never be a matter for anyone other than the police to deal with; and deal with in the harshest manner they should. In my opinion, the dead child’s guardian / all knowing elders in this case should also have to face prosecution for perverting the course of justice.
Thirdly, although I am a proud Ghanaian and want our country to be portrayed in its best light, this article should have been leading headline news on the day this crime happened on all websites to garner more of response and protests with the ultimate aim of drawing the government’s attention on making it statutory for hospitals to report child rape to the police.
In 2008, the police have to make an example these evil paedophiles who sexually abuse children and those who help them “escape” their crimes that sets a tone & stance on the matter. We owe it to all children, whom we owe a duty of care to under God. I urge journalists & websites like yours to take the lead by highlighting these abuses whenever they occur & treating them seriously so that the strength of public opinion will one day hopefully lead to a culture where all such crimes are reported to the police if they occur, leading to HEFTY convictions every time.
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I am sick just by reading this sad story, I and my friends here in the US are preparing a protest at the UN and at the white house and demand the UN and US put pressure on Ghana government to prosecute child rapist in a court of law and not at home with relative, you watch the whole world will hear of this crimes in ghana, any individual interested in participating in the protest should alert me, I'm Mary. thank you vibeghana for bringing this to the open
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I completely support you, these criminals can not go free of their crimes, what kind of examples are we setting for the future generations; that you can rape an innocent child and settle the issue at home like it's a game or what?
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As a Ghanaian i am not suprise that such a matter can be treated with such flipancy. Only in african culture can all matters including murder be solved with money. How does a society grow leaders and people of courage when they are taught from an early age that they do not matter, thier ideas do not matter, their efforts do not matter, their voice and opinions don't count.
How does any nation develop when its
young come into a world without vision or hope?
I will like to think that as a nation Ghana can grow and change some of its practices but somehow i don't see it. We are at an age where justice and the law is suppose to work, but it does not. I personally believe that we should do away with the whole law enforcement system because its a joke. It is an organisation not fit for purpose.
But worse than this is the luck of outrage from the ghana public. If the report was about some hiplife artists
lifestyle or something they have said people will be over here in uproar voicing thier opinions. The things that have no value or little value to the well being of the nation is what most ghanaians seem to occupy themselves with but stories of human interest at best you will get 'oh its such a shame' and at worst 'well that is life isn't it'.
People should be out there voicing thier opinions and forcing the government to pass laws concerning children safety and rights.
For generations many children have grown up being abused and parents have pretended not to notice. What needs to happend before Ghanaians says enough is enough, by hook or crook we will fight till there are rights for children? This isn't an abormination because its part and parcel of our culture, but maybe its time people became enlighted and realised that the children that we are so busy destroying are the future adults who will be shaping our nation.
I'm trying to teach my children to fight injustice and never to be so complacent that they become blinded to the suffering of others.
Without a secure, safe, encouraging and loving environment how are my children suppose to learn that?
If a person has to learn from an early age to protect and fend for themselves without the support of the adults around them i doubt that their preoccupation will be saving the world.
In other words until our children are provided an environment where hope, love, and security are paramount, they will grow up with no hope, no vision beyond what they can see and too busy with their own pain to care about the welfare of others or their nation.
As a parent i'm horrified by the story, as a ghanaian i'm ashamed at the luck of outrage and as an individual of this time i fear for the nations future.
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