Upper East Records 165 cases of domestic abuse

The Upper East Programmes Officer of Action Aid Ghana, Gregory Dery, has described as worrisome, the increasing rate of abuse meted out to women in the region.  He said though the region witnessed few cases of rape and defilement, records from the regional office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) reveal that 165 cases of abuse were recorded between January and November, this year with 86 being cases of assault. The Regional office of CHRAJ for the same period under review recorded 214 cases, though information gathered from their end suggested that 50 percent of violent abuses were not reported due to several factors best known to the victims involved. Mr.  Dery was not happy that with the intense public education on domestic violence, people still perpetuate violence against their victims, particularly women notwithstanding the harmful implications of their actions. Mr. Dery was addressing participants at a meeting jointly organized by the Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM) with support from other key stakeholders in Bolgatanga. The meeting attended by representatives of various NGOs and pressure groups sought to address human right concerns with focus on actions that are considered injurious and dehumanizing to many, especially women and children. It also sought to review the prospects, challenges and achievements of the Community Based Anti-Violence Teams (COMBAT) established in some selected districts of the region and to chart the way forward. Mr. Dery in his presentation challenged the traditional authorities to complement the effort of government and other civil society organizations in combating gender based violence, which he noted, has been on the increase in spite of the numerous community sensitizations geared at halting the practice. He said Ghana has come a long way and it is high time we walk the talk and show genuine concerns in addressing the plight of the poor and vulnerable in society. He further pointed out that Action Aid Ghana as an anti-poverty NGO has for years played its mandated role of improving the conditions of the excluded in society and charged other stakeholders to contribute their bit in ensuring the rights of the vulnerable. For her part, the National President, Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), Betty Ayageba recognized the tireless effort of the various COMBAT teams for their watch dog role in resolving cases within and outside their jurisdiction. Their effort he observed had contributed in reducing domestic violence and other socio-cultural practices in their localities and urged them to forward cases beyond their reach to the appropriate quatres for redress. She told Radio Ghana that the meeting was expected to deepen the morale of the COMBAT members in addressing issues affecting the livelihood of the people. The existing COMBAT teams, she assured, would be sustained and replicated in other districts to help in combating crimes in the region. There were messages from CHRAJ and other human right NGOs on the protection of rights of individuals in society.

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