Ghanaian musician Okyeame Kwame has argued that the fight against domestic abuse must begin with addressing the ways children are disciplined, insisting that the normalisation of corporal punishment contributes to how abuse is perceived in adult relationships.

The rapper made the comments while reacting to a video by gospel musician Celestine Donkor, who shared her thoughts on the marital issues involving Ghanaian fashion personality Nana Akua Addo.

According to Okyeame Kwame, children who grow up associating physical punishment with love and correction may later accept similar treatment from their partners.

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“The actual problem starts with our parents abusing us,” he wrote in the comment section.

He explained that a child who is repeatedly told that a parent’s beating is an expression of love may grow into an adult who interprets violence from a partner as another form of correction.

“If a girl’s father who loves her dearly beats her when she does something wrong or bad, that girl child will grow up into a woman and allow abuse from a man (especially when she does something wrong) who she believes loves her,” he stated.

The musician acknowledged that his claim that more than 50 percent of Ghanaian children experience abuse from parents and teachers was not based on scientific research, but said the issue remains widespread and requires attention.

He added that tackling domestic abuse requires society to examine the systems that allow violence against children to be accepted, including cultural, religious, educational and economic factors.

“If we want to uproot the problem of abuse in relationships, let’s tackle all that permit abuse of children to be normalised,” he said.

Okyeame Kwame further called for conversations around religion, education, financial inequality, gender imbalance in public institutions and laws that protect children from physical punishment.

PAT/EB