Domestic Violence
CHAPTER ONE
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Domestic violence is one major human right abuse in Ghana. In Ghana, the prevalence of domestic violence is said to cut across all sectors of society and ages. Victims of such violence are predominantly women and children. On physical abuse only, studies have revealed that one out of three Ghanaian women has been physically abused by an intimate partner. Domestic violence is one of the most brutal consequences of the economic, social, political and cultural inequalities that exist between the sexes. Steinmetz (1987) has defined violence as “an act carried out with the intention of, or an act perceived as having the intention of physically hurting another”.
According to Davies (1994), the term domestic violence is sometimes used to describe violence against women in the family while in other instances it is used as a general label covering any violation where the victim and the perpetrator have some form of personal and family relationship or have had a relationship in the past. Used in this wider sense, domestic violence encompasses any threats or acts of physical or sexual harm; economic, emotional, verbal or psychological abuse; and harmful cultural practices that takes place within the context of previous or existing domestic relationship.
The family is often equated with sanctuary – a place where individual seeks love, safety, security and shelter. But the evidence show that it is also a place that imperils lives, and breeds some of the most drastic forms of violence perpetrated against women.
Violence in the domestic sphere is usually perpetrated by males who are, or who have been, in position of trust and intimacy and power – husbands, boyfriends, fathers, fathers-in law, stepfathers, uncles, brothers and other relatives. Domestic violence is in most cases violence perpetrated by men against women. Women can also be violent, but their actions account for a small percentage of domestic violence.
Domestic
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Domestic violence is one major human right abuse in Ghana. In Ghana, the prevalence of domestic violence is said to cut across all sectors of society and ages. Victims of such violence are predominantly women and children. On physical abuse only, studies have revealed that one out of three Ghanaian women has been physically abused by an intimate partner. Domestic violence is one of the most brutal consequences of the economic, social, political and cultural inequalities that exist between the sexes. Steinmetz (1987) has defined violence as “an act carried out with the intention of, or an act perceived as having the intention of physically hurting another”.
According to Davies (1994), the term domestic violence is sometimes used to describe violence against women in the family while in other instances it is used as a general label covering any violation where the victim and the perpetrator have some form of personal and family relationship or have had a relationship in the past. Used in this wider sense, domestic violence encompasses any threats or acts of physical or sexual harm; economic, emotional, verbal or psychological abuse; and harmful cultural practices that takes place within the context of previous or existing domestic relationship.
The family is often equated with sanctuary – a place where individual seeks love, safety, security and shelter. But the evidence show that it is also a place that imperils lives, and breeds some of the most drastic forms of violence perpetrated against women.
Violence in the domestic sphere is usually perpetrated by males who are, or who have been, in position of trust and intimacy and power – husbands, boyfriends, fathers, fathers-in law, stepfathers, uncles, brothers and other relatives. Domestic violence is in most cases violence perpetrated by men against women. Women can also be violent, but their actions account for a small percentage of domestic violence.
Domestic
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