The Role of the Domestic Violence Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) in the Protection of Women’s Rights in Ghana: A Case Study of the Accra Regional Unit.

Abstract

The quest to address issues affecting women has always been the concern of many states, organisations and individual across the globe. These concerned groups have come together to establish national human rights institutions (NHRIs) to help address the issues that affect women. These NHRIs get their mandate from the Paris Principles, and any NHRI who fails to do so will not be regarded as one. DOVVSU as a NHRIs is expected to act like one. The 2007 Domestic Violence Act (Act 732) launched the Victims of Domestic Violence Support Fund (assisted by voluntary contributions and Parliament), to assist DOVVSU with issues of rehabilitation and provide victims with the necessary support. The work sought to identify the role DOVVSU played in protecting the Rights of Women in Ghana, using the Accra Regional DOVVSU as a case study. This was done by examining: people’s knowledge about DOVVSU; the causes of domestic violence; addressing the needs of victims; techniques used in addressing reported cases; the challenges faced while addressing these needs. The study employed the purposive sampling, convenient sampling and snowball sampling method due to its qualitative nature. Primary data was collected through personal interviews, and secondary data were retrieved from journal articles, newspapers and reports. The findings revealed that the DOVVSU is deficient when it comes to conducting outreach programmes, which causes low public awareness among victims. Also, domestic violence is as a result of people’s personality and choices, religious and cultural beliefs, and the patriarchal nature of the society. Victims also explained that they needed basic supports like food, clothing and shelter; and other things like medical and mental treatment, economic, legal aid and justice, and education and counselling on matters that relate to domestic violence. In addition, the study suggests preventive measures like promoting behaviours, attitudes and beliefs that aid in preventing violence; and preventing behaviours, attitudes and beliefs that promote violence.