1 in 3 women is likely to suffer domestic violence in Ghana. No matter how weird it sounds, there is a deep cultural belief in Ghana that it is socially acceptable to beat a woman.
It is heartbreaking to know that many Ghanaian women hold the view that husbands are justified in beating their wives for different reasons.
In 2008, 38.7 percent of ever-married Ghanaian women between the ages of 15 and 49 had experienced physical, emotional or sexual violence by a husband or partner at some point in their lives.
If a woman goes out without telling her husband, she is beaten. If a woman neglects the children, she receives a beating. A woman is also beaten if she argues with her husband, refuses him sex or insults him.
Women are beaten in Ghana for burning food or for refusing to give their husbands food. If a woman has another partner or steals, she will be beaten by her husband.
The rate of women who justify domestic violence is overwhelmingly largest in women with the least education and lowest socioeconomic status.
But in 2007, the Ghanaian government passed legislation to prosecute men who abuse their wives. It is important to note that domestic violence is prevalent in rural areas in Ghana.
A report on domestic violence in Ghana reveal that 28 percent of women as against 20 percent of men experienced domestic violence in 2015.
Feminist activities has increased in Ghana as women seek to obtain a stronger role in their democratic government. In 2004, a coalition of women created the Women’s Manifesto for Ghana, a document that demands economic and political equality as well as reproductive health care and other rights.
It is worthy to note that the social and economic well-being of women, who compose slightly more than half of the nation’s population should no longer be taken for granted. Women should not be beaten like animals in their own homes. It’s appalling.
