The Media Coalition against Open Defecation (M-CODe) has condemned attacks on the Queen Mother of Sakumono Village in relation to her efforts at stopping open defecation.
According to the Coalition, the attack on the Queenmother who is simply fighting open defecation to protect everybody in the community from preventable illnesses is unthinkable in the 21st century.
It urged law enforcement agencies to deal with anybody found guilty of this act.
In a statement condemning the attack, M-CODe commended her interest in fighting open defecation.
“In the opinion of the Coalition, traditional leaders have a very critical role to play to ensure that their communities become open defecation-free.”
“The Coalition would like the youth of Sakumono Village and by extension the youth of Ghana to note that in this country, nobody has the right to defecate in the bush, in drains, in open spaces, at the beach, or anywhere except in a toilet.”
“Everybody should also know that provision of toilets in households is not the responsibility of government, and that government has every reason to arrest, prosecute and punish the landlord of any household without a toilet,” the statement said.
The Coalition cautioned influential personalities not to interfere with the prosecution processes but allow the law to work.
“In situations like this, it is very usual for some political, religious, traditional, and other influential personalities to plead on behalf of some of the suspects in order for the authorities to set them free,” the Coalition cautioned.
This practice, they warned, only promotes lawlessness in the country and contributes to making Ghana a dangerous place to live.
The Coalition urged tenants and landlords in houses without toilets to sit together and work out a plan to construct a toilet and stop open defecation immediately.
It noted that open defecation kills about 19,000 people in Ghana through various infections and costs the state more than GH¢400,000 each year.
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Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
