According to World Health Organization (WHO), 30% which indicates 1 out of 3 women in the world have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime and Ghana is not an exception.
Physical spousal abuse became a regular theme in Media reports in the country in the late 1990s, thus resulting in the establishment of the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) now the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police in 1998; a specialized unit that handled crimes against women and children.
These actions resulted in the Government of Ghana enacting a few national laws to protect women’s rights and outlaw violence against women and girls. They included a provision in the 1998 Criminal Code Amendment Act, as well as legal amendments criminalizing certain harmful traditional practices, such as widowhood rites, female genital mutilation (FGM) and child abuse.
Domestic violence, also called intimate partner violence occurs between people in an intimate relationship and can take many forms, including emotional, sexual and physical abuse and threats of abuse. Abuse by a partner can happen to anyone, but domestic violence is most often directed toward women and can happen in heterosexual and same-sex relationships. Abusive relationships always involve an imbalance of power and control. An abuser uses intimidating, hurtful words and behaviours to control a partner. Violence against women can particularly be partner violence or sexual violence which is a major public health problem and violation of women’s rights.
Often, Ghanaians understand “disobedience” to mean a woman’s failure to fulfil her gender role. If a woman fails to perform her household duties, be sexually available to her husband, or seek her husband’s permission to undertake an activity, her failure is grounds for a beating.
All these I believe are the fault of society and our culture, as women are perceived to be inferior and in need of protection and therefore are placed under the authority and control of someone, usually male, throughout their lives. Male privilege includes the right to discipline or chastise women under a male’s control which I deem unfair.
Women are entitled to the same right as men. They need to be treated with the same respect and not just sex objects in marriages.
It’s high time women report abusive partners without fear of being condemned by society.
Women need to report violence against women and children.