Violence Against Women (Feature)

This should appear in tomorrows paper :)

Violence against women is both a cause and a consequence of deep-rooted inequality between men and women and it devastates lives. It fractures communities and destroys families. Domestic violence, rape, child and/or forced marriages, female circumcision and other forms of gender-based violence are obstacles to achieving gender equality in every nation. It is a violation of women's fundamental human rights, including the right to life; the right to health and physical and mental integrity; and the right to be free from torture, inhumane and degrading treatment. It cuts across cultural and religious barriers, impeding the right of women to participate fully in activities of society.
Research indicates that domestic violence continues to increase in many countries, including Ghana, where many women are unaware that it is a form of illegal abuse and they are well within their legal rights to inform the police.
 It is seen as inevitable and deemed to be part of marital life. Alarmingly, a proportion of men find it incredulous to be questioned about their actions in relation to such abuse, let alone being arrested.
 During a discussion with a young girl about marriage, she informed me that “my husband would beat me if I didn’t do as he so wished.”  What troubled me the most about this conversation was that the girl in question didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with a husband beating his wife. She nonchalantly informed me it was just something that happened and seemed bemused when I explained it was a serious offence in the Western world. I find that kind of acceptance frightening and difficult to comprehend.
It is somewhat disturbing, especially to someone who grew up in a Western society, that until 1993 the alarming global dimensions of female-targeted violence was not explicitly acknowledged by the international community. Until that point, most governments (in developing nations) tended to regard violence against women largely as a private matter between individuals, and not as a pervasive human rights problem requiring State intervention. The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women without vote in its resolution 48/104 of 20 December 1993.
Contained within it is the recognition of "the urgent need for the universal application to women of the rights and principles with regard to equality, security, liberty, integrity and dignity of all human beings". The resolution is often seen as complementary to, and a strengthening of, the work of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. It recalls and embodies the same rights and principles as those enshrined in such instruments as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the end of that year.
In Ghana, The Domestic Violence Act was passed in 2007 and it is aimed at protecting women and children from domestic violence. As a result women’s advocacy groups have stepped up their programmes and activities. The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), formerly Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU), was established by the Police Administration in 1998 in response to the increasing number of Abuse and Violence Against Women and Children. The purpose for setting up DOVVSU was also to create a platform where women and children could have their problems properly addressed. This became necessary because most cases on violence against women and children were treated as mere family issues which were to be settled at home.
Despite this, domestic violence is still a critical issue and women are still reluctant to admit that they are victims of abuse. For many it can be embarrassing and/or humiliating. In a country where divorce is still reasonably infrequent it can be difficult for a woman to walk away from a marriage without feeling she has inflicted shame on her family.
Women are often described as being the ‘backbone’ of society, especially in developing nations. The United Nations Development Fund has stated that violence against women is a hindrance to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It hampers productivity, reduces human capital and undermines economic growth. Women in rural areas are more vulnerable to domestic violence, perhaps due to a lack of education and availability of information and help. For many women it is fear that stops them breaking away from a violent relationship. This is true of women worldwide and across the globe NGOs are working to address this precarious issue. But in Ghana the issue of domestic violence is still considered by many to be a taboo. There’s little help for women in terms of refuge or support services which are abundant in Western society.
As Ghana works at moving above a lower middle income country, the empowerment of women is more significant. Women need to be aware of their rights and have the courage to stand up to abusive husbands/boyfriends. The youth need to be educated about the seriousness of domestic violence and girls especially, need to be taught that is it wrong for their husbands to physically abuse them.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign aims to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.