Abuse of women and children is one of the problems that our noble country has to factor out and come out with the possible solution. I will be delighted when the higher office of the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection will embrace this issue and deal with it amicably. There are a lot of issues concerning abuse on women and Children but I will like to tackle on three most important issues with regards to the abuse on women and children.
REASON 1: Afraid to Report
One of the reasons why abuse on women and children is rampant is the fact that the victims are afraid of reporting their experiences to the relevant authorities. Some school of thought explains that the fear to report is usually based on two things.
The first is that they will be labelled as victims, and the second is that the abuser, who is often someone they care deeply for, will get into trouble. Additionally, it is important to note that law enforcement has on numerous occasions also been accused of harassing the victims.
Such cases and examples make women and children fear talking about their abuse with the relevant authorities although children might report the issue to an older person that they trust.
Other types of abuse on both women and children are also hard to prosecute in a court of law, therefore, the fear to report is associated with the long court process that might not even be successful. It is critical to point out that many children would rather not report any form of abuse to a person they trust due to the fact that they are afraid of the repercussions of such accusations. Sometimes I believe due to the age of some children, some parents or guardians do not pay much attention to their voice and they usually find it hard to believe them.
In the event that a victim of abuse is afraid to report, a family or close friend can report the abuse on their behalf. Any form of abuse , whether physical or emotional, can be recounted to law enforcement agents for the abuser. There are various reasons why one can be prompted to account to the police an abuse case. Often, the victim is not able to report as an abused woman or children do not have the opportunity to get out of the house because of strict measures
enforced by the abuser. Sometimes the ordinary people out there do not have anyone to speak on their behalf just because they do not have a say or because they do not have the needed support.
I know the first Gentleman and the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo is making his possible best together with the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection is working tirelessly to drive this canker away. So it is up to the victim and the people who are abused to feel bold and report the abuser for justice to be served.
Reason 2: Nowhere to Go
Shelter and safe spaces are critical when thinking about relocating an abuse victim. You see one of the reasons why abused women and children tolerate the abuser is the fact that they do not have anywhere else to go. The most abused people are vulnerable either through the lack of financial power or flailing health. In the instances that finances are issue, a woman would choose to remain with her abuser as she feels trapped.
The lack of access to a safe place to stay can also be coupled by fear of being a burden to other people. Indeed, those who are abused have relatives and friends, but most of the victims believe that they will become an extra expense to other family members if they decided to leave. In addition, the victims normally feel like their abuser will follow them to their relatives’ and friends’ homes.
It is important to note that children often also do not have anywhere safe to go as they are usually either at home with their parents when the abuse happens or living with guardian paired through the foster system. Consequently, such children will often prefer to be anywhere else but home or the shelter. Sometimes children most especially have no option than to accept the view of the abuser and choose to live with them just because they fear they will beaten by their parents or guardian.
In such cases, the victim thinks that the violent person loves them and genuinely prefer staying with them. I would like to appeal and plead to the President of the Republic and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection that the abused should be removed from the premises where the violence takes place immediately in order to avoid further anguish. I believe the government of Ghana under the leadership of His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and other non-governmental organizations will help provide safe houses for victims of abuse. It is important that these safe houses be gender sensitive as many of the abused individuals usually fear the opposite gender, especially if they have been victims for a long time. It is critical to note that many of the mistreated women have children who they also move with when they are taken to a women’s shelter. Since these shelters are limited , they are temporary and the women and their children have to find alternatives within short time.
Currently, safe houses have been built by the government, non-governmental organizations and well-wishers. Debatably, it is upon the government to protect these women and children, thus, they should also be able to build more safe houses. Indeed, even though they are temporary, safe houses should also consider the ability of a victim to reconnect with the outside world on an individual basis.
There are some abused women who only need the courage to report and leave their abuser. On the Other hand, there are some who need financial assistance and even mental health assessments and treatments before are released to the outside world. More safe houses would ensure that all abuse victims have a place to go and get the professional help that they need without the worry of being asked to leave. I believe the government, non-governmental organizations will aid build more houses to eradicate abuse on women and children.
REASON 3: Fear of Being Judged
The fear of being judged by others is also a big blow to abused women and children. Issues of stigma are also common when victims are reintegrated into the society. In highly cultural societies, the discrimination is based on the fact that an abused woman is believed to have embarrased her family. Such cultures do not permit women most especially to discuss marital issues, including abuse, with anyone as it is viewed as a taboo.
The fear of stigma stops abuse victims from reporting their abuser. It is high time the society have to avoid stigmatization and discrimination against children and women who have been abused. As a Peer counselor in SDA College of Education Agona, I will recommend that counselling and group session should be organized for such an individual who is abused.
In these counselling sessions, the counselor will try to make the victim feel comfortable and understand that they did not deserve to be abused. I will advise that all abuse victims get individual counselling before partaking in group sessions. An advantage of individual therapy is that the counselor can get to understand the victim better. When such individual see a counselor, the tag of being judged by others will not pop-up in the system because he or she has gone through a counseling session and the abused person get to understand better on how to grab issues and ways to curb it after going through the counselling session.
I believe we will overcome these challenges of abuse on women and children with these few problems and the suggestions I raised to have a better Ghana we all deserve.
On this note, I would like to thank the team of the Editorial board for granting me space to share these problems with the world. God bless you for reading, God bless SDACOE, God bless TTAG, God bless our homeland Ghana.
Arthur Moore Michael
SRC General Secretary
SDA College of Education Agona, Ashanti.
