DCI Ghana condemns torture of 12-year-old boy, demands punishment of all involved  

Defence for Children International Ghana (DCI-Ghana) has strongly condemned the inhuman treatment and torture of a 12-year-old boy in the Western Region.  

The incident captured on video which has gone viral, shows adults mercilessly inflicting physical and emotional punishment on the child for allegedly stealing GHS 200.  

The child rights organisation is demanding that all individuals involved in the despicable act, including those who took the video, be brought to justice and punished accordingly.  

Addressing the media in Kumasi after a regional learning and sharing workshop for girls and young women (GYW), DCI asserted that the treatment meted out to the boy infringed on the rights of the child under the 1992 Constitution and the Children’s act 1998 (Act 560).   

It also violates the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the Domestic Violence Act 2007 (Act 732), and the Cyber Security Act 2020 (Act 1038).  

Article 28(3) of the 1992 Constitution states that “A child shall not be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.”  

This provision of the Constitution, according to DCI-Ghana, has been seriously breached by the perpetrators of the heinous crime and called for swift action to bring them to book.    

It called for socio-legal protection and psychosocial support for the child to aid in his recovery.  

The government must also enforce legislations on child rights and protection to ensure the victim receives justice and social support.   

Source: GNA