‘Abominable to report my ex-husband for burning our daughter’s hand over GHC10’

An eight-year-old girl is receiving treatment at the Walewale Government Hospital in the North East Region after her father burnt her hand for allegedly stealing GH₵10.

But the man is walking free because the child’s mother claims it is against their culture to report to the police.

The victim, who has since lost three fingers on her left hand, was accused by her stepmother of stealing the money from her grandmother.

The girl is said to have denied the accusation and was exonerated by the grandmother, but Alhassan Majida insisted the money was with her and attacked the girl.

He beat her up mercilessly with a stick leading to eye injuries, before setting her hand on fire.

According to the reports, the victim was abandoned after the assault on Wednesday, June 16, 2021, in a village about 20 kilometres from Walewale until her uncle rescued her and rushed her to the Wulugu Health Center.

She was later referred to the Walewale Municipal Hospital.

The victim’s auntie Aminatu Salifu who is now taking care of her, explained that she “received a call to come to the hospital. Upon my arrival, I was introduced to this little child who I readily identified as my younger sister’s daughter”.

 

She said the man abandoned the girl and left for his farm the next day.

“It clearly shows that this man has not regretted his actions. She (victim) was left alone until her uncle visited the house and found her in that condition,” she lamented.

The child’s mother is said to have left the marriage a few months ago and went to Kumasi because of constant abuse from the man.

According to her, she was once beaten by her ex-husband while she was heavily pregnant.

He hit her several times with sticks and kicked her in the stomach, which resulted in her hospitalization.

The family of the victim’s father are trying to convince the mother of the victim not to pursue the case at the police station.

The confused mother said she was torn between the devil and the deep blue sea.

She had made up her mind to report to the police, but the pleadings from her ex-husband’s family members have left her in a state of dilemma.

“The Wulugu hospital reported the matter to the police because according to them, it is a criminal case, but it is against our tradition and culture as Mamprusi for a wife to report her husband to the police,” she told Joy News.