ACCRA, Ghana – Tuesday, May 26, 2020,/ https://africanpostonline.com/—For many women and children across the world, being at home does not guarantee their safety at this time when we are at war against a common enemy the Coronavirus (Covid-19).
Governments around the globe have urged citizens to stay at home to protect themselves and others from Covid-19. The lockdowns imposed to contain the virus and safeguard citizens have increased the risk associated with domestic violence especially for women and children who form the vast majority of domestic violence victims. For these women and children, a home is now a dangerous place.
You may be wondering how the lockdowns have influenced the rate of domestic violence. The Council on Foreign Relations in their article A Double Pandemic: Domestic Violence in the Age of COVID-19 revealed that data from many regions already suggests a significant increase in domestic violence cases, particularly among marginalized populations. The Middle East and North Africa have the world’s fewest laws protecting women from domestic violence. In Latin American countries such as Mexico and Brazil, a spike in calls to hotlines in the past two months suggests an increase in domestic abuse. In China, police officers in the city of Jingzhou have received three times as much domestic violence calls this past February as at the same time in 2019.
International faith-based aid agency World Vision in a recent report says 85 million children will suffer various forms of abuses over the next three months.
Director of Child Protection, World Vision Ghana Gregory Dery in an interview on The Pulse on JoyNews said that because schools are closed and children have to stay at home, it has created tension. Parents have lost their livelihoods and jobs and must still cater for their children. This has resulted in various forms of violence against children. He further said there are various reports of child marriages as a result of Covid-19. To reduce the burden of care at home, parents are giving their daughters out for marriage. The Director of Child Protection also added that there was a worrying incident where a father threatens to kill his daughter if she does not agree to accept a marriage proposal. Children are being abused virtually every day. Beating and corporal punishment is becoming a norm. A number of sexual abuse cases have also been reported.
This report comes at a time when two cases of abuse against children have been reported by the media. The Manhyia Divisional Police Command arrested a 26-year-old national service personnel Ebenezer Osei Bonsu for physically assaulting his three-year-old son for damaging his mobile phone and wetting his bed. Bonsu allegedly used a cable and a cane to whip the child, causing injuries to his head and back. One may struggle to look at the images of the little boy’s back.
Evans Mensah a journalist with the Multimedia Group on the AM show news review said “ You would have to forgive me I didn’t have the spine to listen to that story the whole of yesterday, if I was reading the news I would have left that particular story to Emefa and probably left, I just wouldn’t, I didn’t want to hear it. I was listening to the midday news, immediately they start reading the story I just sort of turn the volume down, I just didn’t have the spine to listen. I mean, I have children and sometimes children do stuff that you want to punish and that’s typical of a Ghanaian parent, you have to know how to punish a child. I don’t know if Israel and Mamavi you are like me, I don’t spare the rod when I have to but you have to do it reasonably, within limits, do it lovingly and let the child know you are doing it because of what he or she has done. There must be a direct connection between what the child has done and the punishment. It has to be done for correction, not for destruction. What you see on television was clearly punishment meant to destroy. It’s really tragic and I hope the law takes its cost.”
You will think that we had heard, seen or even read the worse, then there comes another horrifying story of a 55-year-old man, Osmanu Mumuni arrested by the Weija Divisional Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) for cutting off part of his son’s ear with a blade and placing his fingers into an open fire after suspecting him for stealing 250 cedis. From the news report, the victim was seen in severe pain and had marks of assault all over his body. He was sent to the Amanfro Polyclinic where he was treated and discharged.
Is that how deteriorated the African and Ghanaian communal spirit has become? Where lies the wisdom of our ancestors when they told us in that famous African proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child”. It is very unfortunate to have these cases at a time like this and even more worrying is to think that no neighbour heard of the cries of these children so as to intervene or even report these crimes.
Dzifa Akua Ametam, co-host of Citi TV’s Breakfast Daily Show in an interview with the little boy who was abused by his father expressed worry that his dad is going to prison for his actions. “Are you happy your father has been sentenced?” then the boy replied “I do not feel good about it”. Dzifa asked why, he said “2 years is a lot. Since he is been sentenced, it will be difficult to be fed”.
Lawyer and Executive Director of The Ark Foundation Ghana, Dr. Angela Dwamena Aboagye says research across the world suggest that children are being abused when their mothers are abused and the connection with these recent abuse cases is clear. she said there is nothing mental wrong with many abusers. Dr. Aboagye stated that these abusers exercise power over people who they think are helpless and cannot do anything against them, very few abusers are mentally ill and you will know this because they don’t stop at their child, they do it anywhere and on anyone. The Executive Director of the Ark Foundation made these remarks on the human-interest segment titled Child Abuse! Justice Served, What next on Breakfast Daily.
Dr. Angela Dwamena Aboagye revealed that Ghana’s Children’s Act says it is the District Assemblies that have been given direct responsibility of protection of children in their district. It is time for society to know what our laws say on issues such as Domestic Violence.
Unlike other parts of the world where there is a well laid out plan or system to report on domestic violence and like the evidence from the record of increased calls showed, Ghana is lagging behind as many women and children are not aware of DOVVSU’s toll-free lines and in the cases of those in remote areas, accessibility to network connectivity deprived them the needed support.
People should not die as a result of domestic violence before we appreciate the urgency of the issue. A strategic and collective effort from Governments, Civil Society Organizations, Traditional, Faith-based groups and the media must join forces to address and drastically reduce domestic violence.
The World Bank is predicting that the Covid-19 pandemic could force 60 million more people to live on less than $2 a day pushing them into extreme poverty. This is a wakeup call especially to government agencies such as the Livelihood Empowerment Against poverty (LEAP) under the Ministry of Gender and Social protection to increase the number of beneficiaries on the programme.
For the Sustainable Development Goal 3 Good Health and Well-being to become a reality, we must all ensure that we will not allow domestic violence to continue on our continent. If you see something, say something.
Michael Sa-Ambo – African Post online
Follow Us
Michael Sa-Ambo is a consummate writer who is passionate about development on the African continent. His area of interest is in current affairs, personal development and communication.
