PRESS CONFERENCE BY KUSAUG WOMEN ON THE RECENT POLICE AND MILITARY BRUTALITIES IN BAWKU MUNICIPALITY AND ITS ENVIRONS DATED 18TH MARCH 2022 AT THE KUSAUG TRADITIONAL COUNCIL
INTRODUCTION
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media, we welcome and appreciate your presence even with the short notice given to your media houses.
Ladies and Gentlemen, We the women of kusaug in Bawku woke up on the 17th of March 2022 to continue our usual trade at the Bawku Highways area, when a group of armed Police and Military men stormed our business center in a Rambo style and started vandalizing the entire area. We were subjected to severe brutalities, destroyed food stuff, poured our food to the ground, ransacked our bags took away our monies.
RECENT HAPPENINGS AND ITS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCIES
The Press, we women now have a strong conviction by the actions of the Security that, they are pushing women to physically partake in the ongoing conflict in Bawku by given the same measure of inhuman treatment they give to men to us even though the security are pretty aware, we are neutral in the conflict. Women are mothers and will do everything humanly possible to protect human life and properties and no amount of harassment will change that.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we have some few question for the Police and Military to answer:
Can they justify to the whole world why a woman was shot dead in cold blood in Daduri and yet, the perpetuators of that heinous crime are still roaming freely in Techiman?
Why should they imposed a ban on motor riding including women when there is no single record of women engagement in the conflict as far as Bawku is concern.?
Why are they burned on relocating Kusasi women to the mamprusi areas when there is no peace in the area?
Why should they shoot an innocent woman and went ahead to kill a 13year old boy at Buabula a suburb of Bawku?
Why is the poor and innocent market women their target anytime Bawku is in flames?
Why should they take delight in beating us, destroying our things and looting our hard earned monies
Would they have beaten their wives, mothers or sisters if they were part of us?
We therefore wish to call on the government, human rights activist, women groups and NGOs, to come to our aid to stop the Military and Police brutalization on women in Bawku. This inhuman treatment and injustice meted on women is becoming a norm.
The fact that Women are not strong does not mean that, women should be used as tools in an attempt to resolve the Bawku conflict by the Security agencies. We are women with blood just as their wives in their Military and Police Barracks and if beating women, destroying and looting is the culture of the Security, then we are sorry, we are not in the barracks.
We the women of Bawku are highly disappointed on the Security personnel in Bawku per their recent unprofessional behavior. Those who are supposed to keep law and order are becoming lawless and those who are supposed to protect lives and properties are spotted killing and destroying properties.
The Media, Ladies and Gentlemen, we wish to use this platform to call on the Minister for Gender and social protection to listen to the cry of the women in Bawku.
To those Military and Police who brutalize us, remember you were once Civilians before becoming uniform men, Sooner than later, you will retire and become part of the civil world and your works as personnel will determine your life after service, but by then, women will still be women and still your mothers, wives and sisters.
CONCLUSION
The Ghanaian Military and Police that used to be respected and feared are now reducing their strength on women, it is a shame in this 21st century.
Thanks for coming and God bless women in Kusaug.
Signed
PARAMONT QUEEN MOTHER
PUANABA ALASBUDI I 0244062882