The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service in the Upper East Region is calling for the establishment of a gender court.
This court, it says, would help in handling issues of domestic abuse quickly without overstretching such issues, which further compound the situation for the victims.
According to the unit, filing domestic abuse cases at the open courts mostly leads to delays arising from the pressure on the courts.
Speaking during the closing ceremony of a two-day workshop organized by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE Ghana) in Bolgatanga on Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) Project, the Upper East Regional Coordinator of the unit, Mariam Awemoni explained that the Gender Court would help in dealing with such cases without delays.
“I also plead with our chiefs that they should help us to get the gender court because their voices go far. So when we get the gender court, we will see results in due time. Because when I go with maintenance, at least within 3-4 months, I should get a case and get the results for the children.”
She added that it is a crime for any individual to shirk his or her responsibility as a parent.
“If you constantly hit the other person to the extent that you cannot take it again, then the person has to remove their shoes and run away. And that is what is always causing the divorce. So when the divorce comes, then the non-maintenance follows, and because the woman carried the children and then off, is gone. So the man says, okay, you have sent them away, take care of them. So, the man is left free to do whatever he wants to do.”
