Socio-Economic and Political Context of Domestic Violence in Ghana (Published)
This study examined the prevalence of domestic violence in the socio-economic and political context in Ghana. The study conveniently sampled 200 women within Kumasi metropolis as participants. Data for the study came from both primary and secondary sources. Structured questionnaires were face-to-face administered to the respondents. The data were analyzed with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) for windows. The study revealed that the prevalence of Cultural factors had been agreed by respondents as scourge of domestic violence. Acceptability of violence as means to resolve conflict (M=4.7), bride price and dowry (M=4.2), Cultural definitions of appropriate sex roles (M=4.25), Belief in the inherent superiority of males (M=4.3). Prevalence of economic factors were agreed by respondents as follows: Women’s economic dependence on men (M=5.0) limited access to employment in formal and informal sectors (4.26) discriminatory laws regarding inheritance, property rights, use of communal lands (4.2). Prevalence of Political factors were agreed by respondents as follows: Under-representation of women in power, politics, media and in the legal and medical profession (M=4.17), Risk of challenge to status-quo/religious laws (M=4.35). Legal factors included: laws regarding divorce, child custody, maintenance and inheritance (M=4.31) insensitive treatment of women and girls by police and judiciary (M=4.91). More than halve of the respondents indicated that they have even been assaulted by men. The study revealed a significant association between ever been assaulted and employment status (X2=76.9, p-value<0.05, df =6). Again there is a significant relationship between ever been assaulted and education attainment (X2=35.25, p-value<0.05, df =8). There are relationship between females ever been assaulted and age X2=21.13, p-value<0.05, df =8). Policy intervention and reinforcement of the existing legislation is imperative in the civility of these findings.
Keywords: Domestic Violence, Ghana, Political, Prevalence, Socio-Economic, Women
The Sins and the Punishments: Towards the Incidence of Domestic Violence and Its Extenuating Circumstances in Ghana (Published)
This paper was carried out to examine the prevalence of domestic violence and possible extenuating circumstance in the Kintampo South District of Ghana. The target population of the study was predominately women. 200 of these women were selected purposively to participate in the study. Structured questionnaires were used to gather primary data. Secondary data were obtained from academic research data bases including EBSCO, Google Scholar and Cross-Ref. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the field data. Respondent’s participations were purely voluntary. The study revealed forms of domestic violence as follows: Rape, Torture, Molestation, Battering, Forced Labor, and feticide. Extenuating Circumstances were discovered as follows: Medical response, Counseling Law enforcement, Public education, Media blitz, Role of Gender Activists and psychologist. Also it was found that there is a significant (X2 = 98.19, df = 8, p-value < 0.05) association between women educational level and rape experience. Moreover, the study revealed a significant association between women age and rape experience. Again, there is a significant (df = 16, X2 = 248.14, p-value<0.05) association between women educational level and force marriage experience. There is a significant association between women age and forced marriage experience. It is concluded that nobody should ever think that the blight of domestic violence is over neither in Ghana nor many other developing countries. The domestic violence scourger still lives. The proposed extenuating measures should be taken serious by policy maker to avert the situation. Development psychologists are also needed to aid behavioural studies.
Keywords: Domestic Violence, Extenuating Circumstances, Ghana, Incidence, Women
Subtlety of Tears: Theatrical Exploration of Women’s Psychological Battle with Domestic Violence (Published)
The average African girl grows into a woman knowing that she must get married. When she eventually does, she must do all that is in her powers to make her marriage work. She has to submit, obey, make sacrifices and above all, endure even the meanest form of brutality just to prove to the people that her marriage is working as well as other people’s. The fact that she is going through hell notwithstanding, little is to be known to the public of the true cause of the bruises she explains off as accidents, of the heartaches she covers with mere fatigue, of the tears she blames on onions. This paper examines the dramatic exploration of the emotional, physical and psychological battle women are engaged in in their various homes. Using the text, Onions Make Us Cry, this paper will critically explore how much women struggle in silence while trying not to wash their dirty linen in public and how eventually, these bottled up grievances usually lead to psychosis and even insanity; both psychological imbalances which, although mild in most cases, could birth very serious domestic violence in exceptional ones. While exploring this, the paper advocates for a speak-out; a situation where such women confide in someone in order to ease off accumulated aggression and/or grievance
Keywords: Battle, Domestic Violence, Psychological Battle, Women