Violence between the sexes in the past was rampant in the Northeast region, but due to the works of Non-Governmental Organisations, the issues of Gender-based violence are decreasing.
One such initiative which is proving a game changer when it comes to addressing issues of violence between the Genders is the Power 2 Choice (P2C) project which is spearheaded by the Participatory Action for Rural Development Alternatives (PARDA) in collaboration with Oxfam in Ghana.
In the West Mamprusi District, for eample, the NGO has through community durbars and sensitisation programmes has raised awareness and educated the people about the dangers and the need to find alternative and safer means to addressing disputes, especially at homes. This has contributed to the reduction in the number of Gender-based violence recorded in that area.
At a recent stakeholder engagement, some of the locals testified that the education received by the NGOs have helped them to better understand issues surrounding Gender-based violence and how to deal with them.
In an interview, Issahaka Majeed, a teacher, revealed that before the NGOs started engaging them in their communities, his brother and his wives were always not in good talking terms and they hardly sit together in the house but the knowledge he gained from PARDA has enabled him to bring them together and they are now living happily and doing things together.
“It has changed our family life…the way we used to do things has now changed. Having the belief that females are only meant to be in the kitchen and then doing household chores has changed.”
“The social relationship between the family has now also increased because they have a cordial relationship when they need not to enter each other’s room. Now, it is something that they are doing. They share ideas together. Previously it wasn’t so, they were not in good talking terms,” Issahaka Majeed revealed.
He therefore thanked PARDA for helping him to fight Gender-Based Violence in his family which he says the family is now united with and is doing things in a peaceful manner. He added that several women are going through some emotional tortures in their marital homes due to the abuse they are facing in the hands of their husbands.
The Assembly Member for the Tinguri electoral area, Iddrisu Bugzua also commended PARDA for shaping the lives of the people by equipping them with the needed skills to fight Gender-based Violence in the communities.
“The gender based violence that is predominant in our various areas has started reducing and we thank PARDA for transforming our lives. One thing I like about this PARDA is that they have involved the traditional authorities and they hold more power in our leadership dispensation,” Bugzua said.
Bugzua said he is more prepared to address the challenges involved in fighting GBV in his electoral area with the support of the chiefs and other opinion leaders in the various communities. He also urged PARDA, Oxfam Ghana, and other NGOs to continue to fight Gender-Based Violence by increasing community durbars and stakeholders meetings to get the challenges involved addressed.
Story by Dokurugu Alhassan.
