A 25-year-old mother is on trial after allegedly burning her 11-year-old son with a heated pressing iron in Ho.
The brutal act, carried out as punishment for the boy losing a pen, has sparked a conversation about child protection and parental discipline.
The accused, Jemima Kwaku, a cook, appeared before the Ho Circuit Court on July 21 and pleaded not guilty to a charge of causing harm.
According to the prosecution, led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Noah Amuzu, the horrific incident unfolded on July 15 at Ho Barracks–New Town.
ASP Amuzu told the court that Ms. Kwaku became “enraged” when she found out her son had lost a pen she had purchased for him.
The boy’s explanation—that a classmate had borrowed it and forgotten to return it, with a promise to retrieve it the next day—did not satisfy her.
The mother is said to have then locked the “helpless child” in a bedroom, where she carried out the assault.
The court heard that after plugging in a pressing iron and allowing it to heat up, the accused allegedly pressed it onto the boy’s body, leaving him with severe burns on his belly, chest, lips, shoulders, backside, and other parts.
The extent of the boy’s injuries came to light on July 18, when his class teacher noticed his unusually quiet and withdrawn demeanour.
After being questioned, the child “mustered the courage to narrate his ordeal,” prompting the teacher and headmaster to report the matter to the police.
The accused was subsequently arrested, and the boy was taken to the hospital for treatment before being placed in the care of social workers.
In her caution statement to the police, the accused reportedly “admitted to the offence”.
She has been remanded into prison custody until August 19.
The case has drawn comparisons to a similar incident in Ho just over a year ago. In May 2024, a 62-year-old woman, Margaret Gafa, was arrested and prosecuted for burning her nine-year-old niece. That child was also taken into social care, a procedure mandated by Ghana’s Children’s Act of 1998 (Act 560).
The Children’s Act, along with the Child and Family Welfare Policy, makes it mandatory for any suspected case of child abuse or neglect to be reported to the Department of Social Welfare for investigation.
These legal frameworks are designed to protect children from “torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” which is an offense punishable by law.
Data from a UNICEF study on child protection in Ghana revealed that in a 2011 survey, 90% of children in the country had experienced some form of physical violence.
The study highlighted that physical harm is often perpetrated “under the guise of discipline,” a practice that remains widely accepted in homes and schools despite its harmful effects.
Cases like these underscore the critical role of vigilant community members and school officials in reporting abuse, as well as the need for continued public education to prevent such tragic incidents.
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