SPONSORSHIP AD HERE  

News

 

 

Is Maame Dokono a victim of political vendetta?
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

Accra, Feb 17, Ghanadot - In recent times, the Ghanaian media landscape has been saturated with a sodomy saga which led to the closure of an orphanage known as Peace and Love Orphanage by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DoVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.

The orphanage was owned by ace actress, gender activist and politician, Maame Dokono. Consequently she was arrested and charged for exposing children to harm as stipulated by the Children's Act.

This was because under the Act, a person under 12 years could not be charged with a criminal offence but rather the parent or guardian of the child.

The reason given for Maami Dorkun's arrest was that an eight year old boy allegedly sodomised a six month old baby and secondly they claimed that the orphanage has been operating illegally since its license has not been renewed since 2006.

This has obviously created a lot of agitations in the country amid protests by some supporters of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the DoVVSU office in Accra.

Maame Dokono, who campaigned vehemently against the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in the 2008 elections said a lot of unprintable words about that party when it was the opposition party.

Many therefore think that the current arrest of Maami Dorkuno was a political vandetta and that NDC is using its powers to deal drastically with the actress cum politician,  Obviously, others in the NDC think otherwise.

However, the big question left unaswerred by the DoVVSU was why  Maame Dokono's orphanage been operating since 2006 if it was unlicensed and therefore illegal outfit? Did the authorities not know that her license had expired? And why did the authorities wait for almost three years to act?

An important outfit of the nature that deals with emotionally disturbed and highly vulnerable children that operates illegally should be closed down immediately.  The reality of Maami Dorkunno's situation was that that the closure was delayed for over two years and this is what has created skepticism in many minds about the political intentions behind the scene.

There central concern now is why the people in charge of DoVVSU, who caused a two years delay in their supervisory duties, should not be arrested for negligence?  The sad part is also the possibility that If the Peace and Love Orphanage has been operating for two years without license then there many more institutions of similar nature in the country doing the same.  This point is a reasonable conclusion to make.

It is also absurd to observe that way the police went down to Maami Dorkunoo's orphanage and the rude arrest and interrogations that followed.  It all smacks of political vindictiveness and an opportunity by the police to curry favor with the current government.

A procedure that deals with the nature of the case should have been created long ago rather than to resort to impulse and brutal force to accomplish something that delicate.

For the good of the country the the followinf questions need to be answered:

- Was the management of the orphanage notified that they were operating illegally and how many warnings were given?

- Do our child protection agencies really carry out proper periodical checks on these institutions?

As to the 8-year old boy who committed the despicable act of sodomising a 6-year old baby, I would say though it can't be thoroughly prevented, if the right checks and procedures are put in place, some of these acts could be avoided.

Again, I blame the authorities as well as staff and owner of the Peace and Love Orphanage for not putting effective and efficient monitoring systems in place to deter the boy(s) from this ungodly act.

Legally, if Maame Dokono did not abet to the crime, she could not be charged with it. But she should cooperate with the Department of Social Welfare and the police to carry out the necessary investigations.

Let us hope the whole exercise has no political undertone.  The unfortunate part, however, is that eventually the losers are going to be the same children we are seeking to protect.  What, for instance, is the fate of the majority of the children who have been removed from the orphanage because of the closure?  Unless we prevent the hahazard nature of these events, it may not auger well for our country which has won some global recognition in democracy and governance.

Ghanadot

Water crisis hits Tamale

Accra, Feb 17,, Ghanadot - Barely a month after the former President, John Agyekum Kufuor, commissioned the Tamale Water Expansion Project, to provide 24 hours supply of adequate potable water, to residents of Tamale, the Regional capital of the Northern Region and its environs are currently faced with another water crisis.
...More

 

Is Maame Dokono a victim of political vendetta?


Accra, Feb 17, Ghanadot - In recent times, the Ghanaian media landscape has been saturated with a sodomy saga which led to the closure of an orphanage known as Peace and Love Orphanage by the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DoVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service........more

   
Three Minister-Nominees vetted

Accra, Feb. 17, Ghanadot/GNA – The Appointments Committee of Parliament on Tuesday commenced vetting of Minister-Nominees at about 1600 hours and vetted only three Nominees, instead of the usual five or six per day.....
More
  NIB boss accused of causing fanacial loss to state, yet no money lost

Accra, Feb. 17, Ghanadot/GNA – The Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) is scrutinizing documents submitted to execute the bail bond for Daniel Charles Gyimah, Managing Director of the National Investment Bank (NIB).. ..More
  ABC, Australia
FOXNews.com
The EastAfrican, Kenya
African News Dimensions
Chicago Sun Times
The Economist
Reuters World
CNN.com - World News
All Africa Newswire
Google News
The Guardian, UK
Africa Daily
IRIN Africa
The UN News
Daily Telegraph, UK
Daily Nation, East Africa
BBC Africa News, UK
Legal Brief Africa
The Washington Post
BusinessInAfrica
Mail & Guardian, S. Africa
The Washington Times
ProfileAfrica.com
Voice of America
CBSnews.com
New York Times
Vanguard, Nigeria
Christian Science Monitor
News24.com
Yahoo/Agence France Presse
 
  SPONSORSHIP AD HERE  
 
    Announcements
Debate
Commentary
Ghanaian Paper
Health
Market Place
News
Official Sites
Pan-African Page
Personalities
Reviews
Social Scene
Sports
 
    Currency Converter
Educational Opportunities
Job Opening
FYI
 
 


 
Send This Page To A Friend:

The Profile Africa Media Group