NR CHRAJ FINGERS WOMEN ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

NR CHRAJ FINGERS WOMEN ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Records have shown that reported cases of domestic violence collated by the
northern regional Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)
have been committed by women than men in their communities.

The offenders by the records have being accused of committing major crimes such
as forced/early marriage, child molestation and character assassination through
rivalry.

CHRAJ also kicked against the habitual settlement of cases of domestic violence
by the traditional authorities especially in rural communities rather than
reporting such cases to the appropriate legal bodies.

Mr. Stephen Azantilow, northern regional Director of the Commission on Human
Rights and Administrative Justice dropped this hint at Wayamba, a suburb of the
Tamale.

He was addressing a community durbar on the Domestic Violence Law jointly
organized by the Urban Agricultural Network (UrbaNet) and CHRAJ with sponsorship
from Action-Aid Ghana.

He advised the people to stop entertaining what he referred to as “Psychological
fear” in them by going beyond the traditional approach of settling cases of
domestic violence and report such cases to the authorized agencies.

Mr. Stephen Azantilow pleaded with especially the women to stop maltreating
their maid servants and treat them like their biological children seeing that
the proper development of the child is everybody’s responsibility.

Answering questions from the people, Mr. Azantilow urged to them to refrain from
denying women and children their right to inheritance.

He also underscored the need for parents to allow their female grown-ups to
search for their partners rather than forcing them to marry men against their
marriage rights.