National outreach programme on Domestic Violence Bill launched

Koforidua, Nov 28, GNA- The Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, Mrs Gladys Asmah, on Thursday launched the national outreach programme to discuss the draft Domestic Violence Bill with a call on society to find better means of expressing differences to one another instead of inflicting pain and suffering on themselves.

The programme has the theme: "Domestic Violence- a social menace that must stop."

Mrs Asmah said the outreach programme became necessary in order to explain and seek the views of various communities on the content of the Bill to ensure that the law becomes acceptable and enforceable.

She said the rising incidence of domestic violence, whether in the form of spousal beatings or child molestation, undermined the sanctity and cohesiveness of the family leading to social disorder and instability.

Mrs Asmah said it was in response to the rather disturbing incidence of various forms of domestic violence and the concerns of women advocates that government came out with the draft Bill for discussion before parliament passes it into law.

She mentioned some aspects of domestic violence which the Bill seeks to stop as those involving family sets up, between couples, towards children, including house helps and those based on traditional/cultural practices such as female genital mutilation, Trokosi and early and forced marriages.

Mrs Asmah warned irresponsible men that they would not be spared if they did not change their negative attitude towards their wives and upkeep of their children.

The Eastern Regional State Attorney, Ms Getrude Aikins who gave the outline of the Bill, stated that since the purpose was to protect the lives and interest of close family members, there were provisions such as Interim Protection Order by the Courts to keep perpetrators of domestic violence from the marital home for a period.

She said it also empowers witnesses to domestic violence to report culprits to the police or the Department of Social Welfare.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo Mensah, expressed concern that the incidence of domestic violence had been a canker that had eaten deep into the social fabric of the people for which the youth, women and the physically challenged were often subjected to various degrees of sufferings from family members.

He said such inhuman tendencies was a cause for the incidence of street children in urban centres leading to some joining armed robber gangs or taking to drugs among other social vices.

The Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Dr Oti Boateng, stressed the need for all to contribute ideas that would make the law more beneficial to society during its implementation.