Even though it’s absurd for a parent to brutally mistreat his/her biological child, parental cruelty exist all around the globe in different ways. It comes as a great shock when the reasons behind such inhumane acts are unjustifiable.

A 25 year old unemployed Ghanaian woman has allegedly boiled the hands of her 9 year old son at Kwabenya – Accra. The accused, Emelia Ofosu , is said to have put the hands of her son in a boiling water for squandering GH₵1 given to him as refuse dump fee, the Daily Graphic reports.

Narrating the chronology of event to the newspaper, ASP Christine Sropenyo, said Emelia asked his son whom she had given GH₵1 as garbage fee to go and dump the refuse at the dumpsite. The boy, playing a smart move on the mother decided to throw down the garbage at the backyard of a neighbor and pocketed the money.

By default, any reasonable human being whose house had been turned into a dumpsite would react and that was exactly what Emelia’s neighbor did the next morning. She confronted Emelia and accused her of using her backyard as a refuse dumpsite.

Emelia who was not happy about the incident decided to handle the situation in her own way.  She therefore called her 9 year old son and forcefully dipped her hand in a water she was boiling to bath her younger kid.

A Good Samaritan heard the boy’s cry for help and went to his rescue. The rescuer then reported the incident to the Kwabenya Police after taking the boy to a clinic for treatment. Emelia was later arrested and interrogated. According to her, her son slipped and accidentally fell into the hot water.

When the fact was later established by the police, Emelia then told the police that her son was a thief who had been stealing mobile phones and money from her neighbors which had been causing her embarrassment. According to her, she had taken the son to a prayer for deliverance in order for him to change from his evil way but her efforts proved futile.

Emelia (25 years with 2 children and pregnant at the moment) has currently been granted bail. The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service has charged her for causing harm and would be put before court.