The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS) has inaugurated a Therapeutic Garden at its One-Stop Centre, headquartered in Accra, as part of efforts to provide healing beyond justice for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).
The facility, which includes both indoor and outdoor garden spaces, has been designed to offer a calm and secure environment for survivors to reflect, meditate and receive counselling as part of their recovery process.
The garden, which was commissioned last Friday and supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), also seeks to enhance trauma-informed care and reinforce public confidence in survivor-centred justice delivery.
Inaugurating the garden, the Director of DOVVSU, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Owusuwaa Kyeremah, said the initiative underscored the unit’s resolve to go beyond its traditional policing mandate.
“This day is a very important day for us. It reminds us that DOVVSU never stops building and improving on our mandate to provide quality service to survivors of gender-based violence,” she said.
“The essence of the garden is to provide a safe space where individuals who have been through some form of trauma can step in and relate with nature.
We believe in the power of nature — the power of plants — to offer a serene environment where one can relax and, for a moment, let go of the heaviness in the heart,” she said, adding that the facility was not a “magic cure”, but an aid in the recovery journey of survivors.
She also announced plans to establish another ultra-modern One-Stop Centre in the Ashanti Region, beginning with Kumasi, and appealed to corporate bodies and development partners to support the initiative.
“The vision is to have One-Stop Centres in all the regional capitals and eventually at the divisional level, so that access to justice will be closer to the people,” she added.
Comprehensive ecosystem
Delivering a message on behalf of the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund, the Programme Analyst and focal person for the DOVVSU Centre, Ishmael Selassie Gbedzeha, said the commissioning marked more than the opening of a physical space.
“Today, we are not merely commissioning a therapeutic garden; we are creating a comprehensive ecosystem of justice, healing and support to survivors of GBV,” he said.
Mr Gbedzeha outlined UNFPA’s support to the centre, including assistance to the DOVVSU medical laboratory to strengthen forensic evidence gathering, the establishment of a podcast studio for public education, the development of a data management system, infrastructure maintenance and the provision of dignity kits for survivors.
“No case should fail for lack of evidence,” he said, adding that education remained the strongest tool for prevention.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh