COMMUNITIES SHUNNING AND SHAMING PERPETRATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:03:24 +0100

Wife beating, maltreatment and molestation of women were seen as a divine right to men. Until the community sensitization on domestic violence and its associated punishment by ActionAid and CARD, the situation was widely been practice in many households in Ullo and its surrounding communities. However, most of our husbands have now changed and started respecting our views and opinions in household and community issues because of the education we all received on our rights and the presence of the Police Officer. Now many people shun and shame perpetrators of domestic violence in Ullo. This was the observation of Madam Ngmenlara Juliana, a COMBAT member at Ullo.

Ullo is a patriarchal society which was among the 13 non-sponsorship communities benefiting from the Community-Based Anti-Violence Team (COMBAT) Project initiated by ActionAid and its partners. Male dominance and female subordination was high in all facets of live endeavors in Ullo.

Ngmenlara Juliana, 38 years old revealed that, wife beating is gradually away from the face of history, and will very soon be considered as not part of our culture as COMBAT criminalized it. Most victims are now willing in reporting to our COMBAT Team for redress. She continues ‘I feel very lucky and save as Ullo is part of the COMBAT activities and our husbands lifestyles are fast changing. I hope ActionAid will intensify its support for women especially those from deprived communities with bad cultural practices’.

WOMEN EARNING INCOMES AT THEIR DOOR STEPS-A FANTASTIC SIGHT AT BILLAW

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 12:02:20 +0100

“ActionAid through CARD has reshaped our lives and unite us as women, and for the first time ever, give us strength to rally behind each other to wind lives and earn incomes for ourselves”. Says by Ama Basing, a 37 year old woman, a wife of the Billaw Koro (Chief) and organizer to the Landmeh Women Group at Billaw

Billaw is a sponsorship community which many women were not effectively organized into groups and their mobilization was difficult hence denied them access to various local empowerment resources from both government and various NGOs at the community level, until now.

Ama continues, “Since the training on how to manage our groups effectively and ensure the success of our livelihood projects, the Lanmeh Women Group has ever since been very active and was able to mobilize large quantity of sheanuts. CARD linked us to a purchasing company and now I am earning high incomes through the proceeds of the sheanut. Just last week I sold 4 bags of nuts and earned around GH¢125 income at home. They buy from us in the community because we are well organized with high understanding of how to handle our own issues”. She concluded that “Our group is appealing to many people”.

Ama exclaimed ‘we have done it so that other women can also learn from us so that we can be liberated from our hitherto subordination’.

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COMMUNITIES SHUNNING AND SHAMING PERPETRATORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

WOMEN EARNING INCOMES AT THEIR DOOR STEPS-A FANTASTIC SIGHT AT BILLAW