What happens to child involved in murder?

Saturday, February 12, 2011 (The Mirror Pg 3)

By Rebecca Kwei
In December last year, a four-year-old boy shot his seven-year-old sister while he was playing with his father’s shotgun at Magagia Camp at Sefwi-Wiawso.
Another incident occurred at Enhuutem-Eniehu, near Enchi in the Aowin-Suaman District, when a 13-year-old boy shot and killed a man believed to be mentally unstable.
Residents of Amisano, near Cape Coast in the Central Region, were left in tears last weekend when a 10-year-old boy accidentally shot and killed his friend.
These are a few of the most recent incidents involving children playing with shotguns, resulting in the accidental murder or injury to others.
But what happens to these children who are involved in such incidents?
According to the Public Relations Officer of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Chief Inspector Irene Oppong, under the Criminal Code when a child below 12 commits such a murder, it is considered that the child has not committed any crime.
Act 29/60 Section 26 states that nothing is a crime committed by a person under 12.
What the prosecutors do is investigate the circumstances under which the crime was committed and if it is found out that it was through the negligence of an elderly person that the incident occurred, then he or she is arrested and prosecuted.
Additionally, if the act also exposed other children to danger, the elderly person is charged with that offence.
Chief Inspector Oppong said in such a situation a child who is below 12 is then taken through counselling and he might be used as a witness during the court process, depending on the circumstances.
She explained that if the child is 12 and above, upon committing the crime he or she is sent to the remand home at Osu, instead of the Nsawam Prison, and after investigations he or she might be prosecuted before a juvenile court and, if found guilty, he or she is sent to a correctional centre.
She explained that in all murder cases the docket was referred to the Attorney-General’s Office for advice.
On what would make a child pull the trigger, a consultant clinical psychologist of Psyconsult, Mr Nortey Dua, said most children world-wide were brought up and socialised in an environment that seemed to condone and endorse violence as a means of resolving conflict.
“Young children easily pick up and imitate the models and values they are bombarded with frequently. Thus some children have become desensitised to violence, even in their immature developing minds, and they see nothing wrong with violence or its consequence,” he explained.
He said children who were exposed to firearms also had the opportunity to fantasise about their use and they might, therefore, be tempted to actualise those maladaptive thoughts.
Mr Dua said some children might have an idea of the consequences but they might be too immature and impulsive to process that meaningfully in the face of strong urges, thoughts and feelings.
On what happened to a child when he/she accidentally killed, he said it was important that such a child and his or her family were shielded or protected from sensational media glare to facilitate a proper investigation into the circumstances leading up to the unfortunate incident and also assist with proper therapeutic interventions for him or her and the family.
He said investigations should be conducted by persons with the requisite professional qualifications and competencies to handle such cases, such as clinical psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and a full medico-legal team.
“Depending on the nature of the incident and the age of the child, a broad range of reactions needs to be expected, identified and managed, such as guilt, depression and other mood disorders, suicidal thoughts and attempts, post-traumatic stress disorders, aggression, conduct disorders, sleep, eating and learning disorders,” he explained.
He further said a proper and detailed assessment of the child's psycho-social adjustment must be undertaken and recommendations made for both short and long-term management.
The family, he said, must also be helped to come to terms with the reality of the situation and also helped to acquire effective coping skills.
Mr Dua called for a lot more public and family education at all levels of society and clear messages given that violence was unacceptable in all forms and manifestations.
He called for censorship of the mass media with regard to violent language and films which seemed to model violence as an acceptable conflict resolution tool.
He said parents were ultimately responsible for the safety of their children and it was their duty to protect the children from exposure to danger or harm and also provide their needs.
Mr Dua said parents who left dangerous chemicals, implements, weapons and others which exposed their children to danger and or harm must be appropriately sanctioned in accordance with the laws of the country.