RISE-Ghana demands arrest, prosecution in Bawku child defilement case
The call follows a touching investigative report by A1 Radio’s Moses Apiah, which revealed that despite formal complaints lodged with the Bawku Divisional Police Command, the suspect remains at large, with no arrest or prosecution effected so far.
Civil society organization RISE-Ghana is demanding the immediate arrest and prosecution of a 47-year-old man, Sulley Fongo, who allegedly repeatedly defiled two girls aged seven and four in Bawku in the Upper East Region.
The call follows a touching investigative report by A1 Radio’s Moses Apiah, which revealed that despite formal complaints lodged with the Bawku Divisional Police Command, the suspect remains at large, with no arrest or prosecution effected so far.
In a strongly worded statement, RISE-Ghana expressed deep concern over what it described as the failure of state institutions and stakeholders to uphold and protect the rights of children as required by Ghana’s Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560).
“Child sexual abuse and defilement are serious crimes under Ghana’s Criminal Offenses Act, 1960 (Act 29). The failure to enforce these laws erodes public confidence in the justice system and emboldens perpetrators,” the statement read.
RISE-Ghana warned that each day of delay not only denies justice to the survivors but also puts other children at risk, noting that the alleged perpetrator reportedly operates a shop close to a private school.
The organization said the inaction of authorities violates Ghana’s national laws and undermines the country’s obligations under international conventions such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC).
RISE-Ghana is therefore calling for urgent action to ensure justice for the victims and accountability from duty-bearers. The organization reaffirmed its commitment to promoting gender justice, child protection, and transparency in Ghana’s justice system.
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