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The Bono Regional Police Commander, Joseph Oklu Gyamerah, has advised men being abused by women to report to the appropriate quarters for redress and their wellbeing.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police observed that many men were sometimes abused but because some traditional beliefs encouraged toughness and endurance among men in the face of difficulties, they found it difficult to report them.
In adherence to cliches such as “men don’t cry”, the abuses may lead to health complications and sometimes death, he said.
DCoP Gyamerah gave the advice at the opening of a two-day refresher and capacity-building training on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) for selected staff of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DoVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at Dumasua in the Sunyani West Municipality of Bono Region.
The programme was organised by ActionAid Ghana (AAG) and attended by 17 officers drawn from Nsawkaw and Badu in the Tain District and Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region.
It was designed for participants to deliberate issues affecting the well-being of women and girls in the participating districts, and to promote a violence-free society.
The topics treated before the deliberation included issues on human rights, preservation of evidence, the Domestic Violence Act and case management.
DCoP Gyamerah suggested that separate training workshops be organised on violence against men, saying the silent suffering of abused men might be a key reason for the early death of some of them.
He commended the AAG for the numerous support to the Ghana Police Service through the provision of physical infrastructures such as the DoVVSU offices; and also funding support for training to facilitate its work.
Nana Kwame Afram Denkyira, Manager for the Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions, of the AAG, earlier in an address, said his office was aware of incidences of violence perpetrated against women and girls, hence his office had prioritised fighting such abuses.
He said AAG would continue to assist in the opening of more DoVVSU offices in the hinterlands to provide access to effective redress of cases of abuses and reduce the stress of travelling far to the urban centres in search of seeking justice.
Nana Denkyira observed that the unbearable financial cost, coupled with the stress of long-distance travel, were some of the reasons why victims of GBV eventually lost interest in following up on cases either with the Police or before the court.
The participants expressed gratitude to the AAG for the training and appealed to other non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to assist victims with the payment of the Police medical bills.
They said some victims of abuse, for instance, were unable to afford the cost of a medical report, which was required as proof of evidence at the court, consequently, their cases ended prematurely without justice being served.
The AAG is a Non-Governmental Organisation, which works to achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradication in various communities in the country.
