Domestic Violence And Rights Abuses

By Helena Selby
It is very unfortunate that the majority of reported domestic violence cases are against women and children. One might attribute it to their level of fragility, or maybe their abilities are always being underrated and taken for granted. Though the campaign against domestic violence has become an everyday issue the number of reported cases increases every now and then. To the layman, the issue of domestic violence is always associated with cases like rape, defilement, maltreatment, child trafficking and assault, but certain cultural practices such as trokosi, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), and the archaic widowhood rites could also fall under domestic violence.

Incidents such as rape and defilement happen a lot, but are always covered up due to the stigma associated with these incidents. In the Ghanaian society, victims of rape or defilement shy away from exposing the culprits, because of the notion that no one would like to marry the victim of rape or defilement. The few reported ones always seem to be by chance. In as much as incidents such as rape, defilement, maltreatment and child trafficking are of concern to society, some aspects of our culture practices also need to be of concern, so as to eliminate them.

Domestic violence and child trafficking
GlobalMarch.com refers to child trafficking as any act or transaction, whereby a child is transferred by any person or group of persons to another, for remuneration or any other consideration. This generally results in them being commercially exploited at all times. Every child below the age of 18 needs to be taken care of by an adult, and when the situation happens to be vice versa, then child abuse or exploitation has taken place. When a child is below the age of 18, and is compelled by adults to do work way beyond his or her ability, it is an offence, since it is a form of domestic violence. In Ghana trafficking of children most often happens to rural dwellers, especially to poor parents and guardians. Normally urban dwellers, on their visits to the rural areas, convince parents, guardians and the children of a better life and education in the city. On the other hand, parents with a vision of a better future for their children, give them out to people who seem to have been successful in the cities, to bring them up.

Rape and defilement
The Oxford dictionary defines rape as forcing somebody to have sex when they do not want to, by threatening them or using violence. Defilement and rape go hand in hand, just that rape is associated with adults, defilement is associated with children below the age of 18 years. Rape and defilement are a human rights abuse, and against the law. Apart from one practically losing her dignity through the act of abuse, the victim suffers serious trau0ma as well. These acts can make a woman develop emotional, mental and psychological problems. According to sources, victims of such situations find difficulties in their sex life, marriage life and social life. Some even go to the extent of losing any form of trust for anyone, especially men.

Domestic violence and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) female genital mutilation (FGM) is the partial or total removal of the female external genitalia, or procedures that intentionally alter or injure female genital organs, for non-medical reasons.
The procedure involved can cause severe bleeding and urinary problems, and later potential childbirth complications and still births. It is mostly carried out on young girls, between infancy and the age of 15. According to those into this practice, it is meant to deter girls from fornicating, since the removal of the external genitalia takes away any sort of desire or pleasure for sex. Society frowns on indiscriminate sex, however every human being has right to enjoy the pleasure derived from sex. It is therefore a form of domestic violence, and an abuse of human rights to deter someone from enjoying sex, all in the name of culture. After all, this practice has no health benefits for women.

Domestic violence and Trokosi
Trokosi is a customary rite practiced in the Volta Region of Ghana, especially among the Ewe tribe. With this practice, a virgin girl is taken to a shrine to pay for the wrongdoings of a family member, especially the parents. The girl is bestowed to the shine, so loses the chance of getting married to any man, since she is believed to be married to the fetish priest, immediately the rite is performed. Modernity and democracy do not encourage this culture. Democracy and even biblical words proclaim that everyone has to pay for his or her crime or offence, and not someone else's. It is therefore a crime associated with domestic violence to forcibly take someone to a shrine to pay for the sins of a family member, simply because she is a virgin. Come to think of it, girls in such communities will not think twice about losing their virginity before marriage, since they will be free from the trokosi culture.
It is very fortunate that women who are victims of such a culture have not lost hope, as they are being helped by non-governmental organisations (NGOs), fight this abuse. According to a report a by The Public Concern newspaper, 101 former trokosi and vulnerable women have graduated from the International Needs Network Vocational Training Centre (INVTC), at Adidome in the North Tongu District of the Volta Region In Ghana. They undertook a three month course in soap, powder, baking, batik tie and dye making. It was sponsored by the Australian and Aid Network (AUSAID), and organised by the management of International Needs Ghana (ING), both NGOs campaign against trokosi. They make available micro-credit for the victims, and also provide them with start-up capital, in the form of items needed to start a business.

Domestic violence and Widowhood Rites
Doesn't a woman have the right to be at peace after the sorrowful death of her husband? Why is it only with women and not men, when their wives die? Widowhood rites, which exists in some of our societies, apart from exposing women to all sort of humiliations, makes them undergo social, economic and emotional trauma. It is a rite that many spouses, especially women, have to undergo after the death of their partner. Some of these women have to go through hair shaving, ritual bathing and confinement in a room for days and sometimes, years. Some societies go to the extent of compelling the woman to drink water they had used to bath the corpse of her husband. This, they say, is to verify if the woman is really the case of her husband's death. Not long ago, three very old women in a royal house were confined in a room for about nine years, simply because their husband, who was the king, was dead. They had no choice than to spend nine years of their lives, cooped up in a room.

What are governments doing?
The Government of Ghana in 1998, observing the plight of victims of various abuses, created a unit in the Ghana police Service, called the Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU). This unit works closely with the Department of Social Welfare, International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and Legal Aid. Apart from handling cases of domestic violence, juvenile offence and child delinquency, it also handles cases of child abuse. When the situation calls for medical attention, they refer victims for medical care and counseling. Apart from that, they also have clinical psychologists and counselors, who provide counseling free of charge.
The main idea behind the free services of the DOVVSU is to make the service available to all, so as to enable anybody with a complaint to launch a case.
The DOVVSU is interested in enforcing the law, and protecting the communities against criminals, and not making criminals out of victims.

Conclusion
Domestic violence is a global issue, which the world is finding it extremely difficult to avoid. NGOs, as well as governments, are trying their best in its eradication. Societies should also try their possible best to stop the violation of the rights of their fellow humans. People should also be vigilant so as not to fall victim to abusers of human rights.