[ 2017-02-21 ]

Human activists condemn beating of woman accused of stealing yam in Kumasi
More people are adding their voices to condemn
brutality meted out to a Nigerian woman who was
stripped naked and pounded in the private part for
allegedly stealing yam.

Executive Director of the Ark Foundation, Angela
Dwamena Aboagye is one of the many gender
activists who have condemned the act perpetuated
against the woman.

““Look at the manner in which they purported
to arrest her, they stripped her and look at the
acts of violence that were perpetuated against
her. When it comes to women, this also sits within
not just a social justice framework or criminal
law framework, but within violence against women
which is completely a human rights issue as
well,” she told Joy News.

Also, human rights lawyer Francis Xavier Sosu has
urged the Commission on Human Rights and
Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to step up its
education of human rights to curb abuses as Social
Justice Day is observed globally today.

Further, pressure group OccupyGhana has added its
voice to calls to seek justice for the said lady
asking that the police use the video to arrest the
men responsible for the abuse.

A video of the abuse of the woman has been
trending on social media for days now. Some people
have alleged that she stole money while others
said she stole a piece of yam. Another group also
claimed she swindled someone of some money.

Although there is no concensus about what is it
that she had done, she was assaulted, kicked in
the groin and her private part.

Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor visited the place
the incident took place in his attempt to
authenticate what the woman did but was
disappointedly told nothing. He could not verify
what the mob that assaulted the woman accused her
of.

The disturbing video starts at a point where the
young lady had been stripped of her clothes. She
covered her waist with a yellow scarf given to her
by a good Samaritan, but it was removed by the
mob.

Another woman who offered a dress was shoved off
and the young lady was not allowed to put it on.

The mob made up mostly of men, tore the young
lady’s red brassiere and panty. At a point in
the video, the men spread her legs open and kicked
her private part many times.

Attempts by the young lady to prevent the mob from
hitting her private part was met with even harder
beatings.

One person who took part in the beating took told
the Luv News reporter that they stripped her naked
and beat her because it is not good for a lady to
engage in such an ungodly act.

Related: Gender activist demands justice for woman
stripped naked, beaten
"Initially, I felt sorry for her but I felt it was
good to serve as a deterrent to other ladies," he
said.

Although criticisms about the act continue to pour
in, some traders at Kejetia in the Ashanti
regional where the incident took place have
defended their acts of brutality.

They say it is normal for persons accused of
stealing to be paraded naked through the streets
amid physical assault and sexual torture.

Another trader said if they catch a thief, they
would strip the alleged thief naked and stuff the
private part with pepper. This is the sixth one I
have witnessed since I started selling here.

The private security guard in the video who was
seen in the video trying to save the lady from the
mob said he got scared at some point.

"I tried calling the police but it won't go
through," he said.

Meanwhile, police say they are investigating the
incident. They revealed they issued a medical form
to the woman the moment she was brought to the
Central Police State. However, she has not
returned to the station to aid with the
investigation.

Source - Myjoyonline.com

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