The Awutu Bereku District Police Command has detained a couple for reportedly confining their 9-year-old son in a bush for two days while restrained with chains.
The incident occurred in Gomoa Nkwantanan, within the Gomoa East District.
The suspects, identified as Bismarck Odoi, 35, and Saviour Arthur, 33, allegedly admitted to the act, citing the child’s “stubbornness” as justification for the extreme disciplinary measure.
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According to reports by Kofi Adjei, the boy was discovered by a local woman collecting firewood, who subsequently alerted authorities.
James Mensah, the individual who escorted the child to the police station, informed Adom News that the victim was brought to the chief’s palace with chains and padlocks still attached to his legs.
The boy recounted that his father had threatened punishment after he and his younger brother arrived late to school.
Upon returning home, he was taken to a secluded area, restrained, and abandoned.
Immediate legal actions and prosecution pathways
The disturbing case of the 9-year-old boy chained in a bush for two days by his parents constitutes a serious violation of Ghana’s child protection laws and demands immediate action under the legal framework.
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Under Section 1 of Ghana’s Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), every child has the right to dignity and protection from cruel treatment, while Section 91 explicitly prohibits subjecting a child to torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment – provisions that clearly apply to this situation.
The Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732), further criminalises such acts of violence against children within family settings.
Law enforcement authorities must ensure the suspects face prosecution under these statutes, with particular attention to Section 314 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), which prescribes imprisonment for up to 10 years for unlawful confinement.
