In 2021, I had a son with a police officer who is married. I didn’t know this at first. He deceived me into believing he was divorced. That’s why I agreed to be with him in the first place. It was when I told him I was pregnant that he came clean.

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“I am not divorced, I lied. So you can’t keep the pregnancy.”

When I refused to get rid of it he asked, “What future do you see with this child? I cannot marry you as a second wife. The catholic faith is against polygamy.”

Although I was hurt to hear this, I stood my ground and insisted on having the baby. From that moment, his love turned into cruelty. He stopped paying for my antenatal care after the first trimester. I went through it all alone and had our son via C-section.

It wasn’t easy. I spent two agonising weeks in the hospital while my baby fought for his life in NICU.

While we were there, he visited us only twice. Not once did he offer to pay for the hospital bills. When my mother asked him to give us some financial assistance, he suggested my brother cover the cost. “I will reimburse him as soon as I can,” he promised.

It took him five months to give my brother GHS1,000 out of a total bill of GHS5,000. The rest of the money was never paid.

When taking care of the baby became too much for me to bear, I took a bold step and reported him to his superiors at the Police Headquarters in Accra. This was in May 2022.

I went there three times. Each time, they called him on the phone and he assured them that he would take care of the baby. Time proved those words to be empty words. He didn’t do anything. At some point, the officers advised me to pray for him.

There were times this man told me, “You’re wasting your money travelling from Bono East to Accra to report me. As an Inspector of Police, I know how we look out for our own. You should use that money for your son’s needs instead.”

My hope was revived when an influential officer stepped in and persuaded him to do the right thing.

In early 2023, an agreement was reached for him to pay GHS400 monthly. Consequently, he paid a lump sum of GHS 7,200. This was meant to cover 18 months (January 2023 to June 2024) of child support.

When the period was exhausted, I revisited the matter and asked that he increase the amount, considering GH¢400 barely covered essentials like food, school fees, canteen expenses, clothing, medication, and other childcare expenses.

I was asked to submit an official letter to the police headquarters, and I did. They assured me they would call me back for further negotiations but I didn’t get that call.

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Two months later, my baby daddy said headquarters instructed him to pay GHS400 at his own discretion. Then he went ahead and mocked me, “See? I told you I am an inspector of police. I know every corner of our operations, so you should listen to me when I say they won’t do anything to me. Do you think I am the first person in this line of work who cannot take care of my son? Besides, he is your son too. Take care of him. In the end, he will still look for me when he grows up.”

It’s been over eight months now since he stopped sending child support. Two months ago, I reached out to headquarters again. This time around, they informed me that they couldn’t locate his file.

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I have been to social welfare and DOVVSU but so far nothing has changed. I need someone who can help me bring him to order. I am trying to make it work by myself but things are hard. Recently, I asked him for money to pay for the boy’s hospital bills but he ignored me.

He keeps telling me that I am too broke to take legal action against him. He is also constantly reminding me that he is a police inspector so no one can touch him. What can I do to get him to be responsible for his child?

—Jackson

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