The minimum doctor's fee for filling out a police medical form is 300 cedis (about R900) - twice the average monthly earnings of informal workers, said Abebrese, one of Ghana's most influential TV hosts
British-Ghanaian actress Ama K. Abebrese - who starred with Idris Elba in the award-winning 2015 drama"Beasts of No Nation" - started a petition after hearing about the prohibitive charges in the West African nation where rape convictions are rare.
"If you don't get that medical report, essentially, the case to prosecute dies right there and then." Abebrese said she was hopeful that the government would scrap the medical fees after she met with Ghana's first lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who said the president had been made aware of the situation, and with gender minister Cynthia Morrison.Police spokeswoman Sheilla Abayie-Buckman said many people could not afford to complete the medical form.
"Professionals charge that and it is so with all other professions," he said, adding,"the government can absorb and make sure all these provisions are made." Rape victims also struggle to access justice in other African countries, said Jean-Paul Murunga, a Nairobi-based programme officer for the women's rights group Equality Now.
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