Fishermen warned against domestic violence

The Acting Keta Divi­sional Police Command­er, Chief Superintendent Jordan Quaye, has warned fish­ermen in the Volta Region to stop intimidating their wives, as the region continues to record high cases of domestic violence against women.

Although he did not provide data to support his claim, he said records had revealed that males living within the fishing communities were fond of beating their wives whenever there was a misunderstanding between them.

Speaking at a durbar yesterday to commemorate 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) organised by USAID here, Superintendent Quaye said wife battering had become a norm in some communities in the region.

He said the situation had made some victims travel outside the region, especially to places like Ashiaman, to solicit sex for food and pittance.

“Such casual sexual activities end in sexually-transmitted diseases, which they spread in Keta and its environs, should they visit for funerals, weddings or festivals.

“To curb the situation, I will like to suggest to the traditional leaders, religious leaders and politicians, to engage the youth in trade or skills training for subsequent employment to help them gain the capacity to care for themselves, in order not to depend on men and marriage for a living,” Supt Quaye said.

The Director of Marine Fisheries Management of the Fisheries Commission, Miss Esi Bordah Kuayson, said violence against women, which includes beating and sexual, psycho­logical and emotional abuse, could be very depressing and sometimes fatal.

She said such violence had become one of the most wide­spread, persistent and devas­tating human rights violations in Ghana as it cut across all communities and perpetrators did not care about age, ethnicity and disability.

“In the fisheries sector, GBV is prevalent in the fishing communities in significant proportions due to increased socio-economic vulnerability of females but remains mostly unreported due to the impu­nity, silence, stigma and shame surrounding it.

“I want to urge all victims to be bold and come out to ensure justice is served,” she said.

The USAID Economic Growth Office Director, Mr Paul Pleva, said approximately 48 percent of Ghanaian wom­en and girls had been sexually abused, with 32 percent facing at least one form of domestic violence.

He said a recent USAID-fund­ed assessment highlighted sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment as common in Gha­na’s fishing sector, and repre­sented a major threat to women and girls’ welfare.