CAMPAIGN ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ENDS AT BOLGATANGA

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31-01-2010 CAMPAIGN ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ENDS AT BOLGATANGA
Narration: In commemoration with the annual 16 days of activism against violence of all forms, the Domestic Violence Coalition in collaboration with the Ministry of Woman and children’s affairs (MOWAC) have embarked on a campaign walk to sensitize the public on domestic violence and the content of the domestic violence act at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. The forum dubbed “Let us unite to “Commit, Act, Demand: We Can End Violence against Woman, was attended by members from MOWAC, representatives from the DV coalition, as well as representatives from the Embassy of the kingdom of Netherlands. Afia Konama Afrifa and Isaac Asare were at the ceremony for Radio Ghana and have filed this report.
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Report
Participants including school children were taken through the designated streets of Bolgatanga amidst drumming and dancing with some holding placards with the inscriptions such “Cooperation is in peaceful co-existence, Manage your anger to reduce violence,” ”Domestic violence is like a cancer “STOP IT’’, “All woman have the right to equal access to health” among others. The Programmes Manager of the Centre for Sustainable Development Initiatives, CENSUDI, Madam Margaret-Mary Issaka, in an address said although the forum is a follow up to the implementation of the domestic violence bill, it also aims at protecting the right of individuals who always fall prey to their marriage partners . She indicated that victims of abuse go through a lot of physical, emotional and psychological trauma, thus, affecting their mental capabilities. Miss Issaka however cautioned the public to desist from the act of domestic abuse adding that women and children are the most affected when it comes to abuse. The deputy chief medical assistance of the Bolgatanga hospital Mr.Sarpak Sampson mentioned excision, child abuse, marital rape among others as some of the forms of domestic violence. He emphasised that the implications of physical and psychological torture of victims of violence are enormous and should not be condoned in any way. He therefore urged spouses to desist from all sorts of assaults that could causes injuries, and asked woman to be respectful and submissive to their partners and work hand in hand in the upbringing of their wards .The Executives Director of Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment (WISE) Madam Adwoa Bame advised victims to report cases of harassment and abuse to the police for the necessary action to be taken. She also urged them to seek medical attention at any regional hospital available to them since it is the responsibility of the government to give financial support to victims of domestic abuse. Madam Bame therefore appealed for government’s support to set up a special fund to cater for the medical expenses for victims of domestic violence.
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