Formal support services and (dis) empowerment of domestic violence victims: perspectives from women survivors in Ghana
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
BMC Women's Health
Abstract
Background As part of efforts to prevent violence against women, several countries have institutionalized formal
support services including legislations to prevent, protect victims, and deter perpetrators of domestic violence (DV).
Prior research on formal support service utilization shows that DV survivors do not get the necessary services they
deserve. However, much remains to be known about the experiences of women survivors of DV who accessed a
range of formal support services and how their experiences (dis)empowered them. Here, we assessed the experiences
of Ghanaian women survivors of DV with formal support services vis-à-vis the provisions of the Ghana DV Act and
insights of subject experts.
Methods From May to August 2018, we recruited a total of 28 participants: 21 women survivors of DV in Weija Gbawe Municipality of Ghana, and 7 experts from the police, human rights, and health professions. We used two sets
of in-depth interview guides: one to collect data on survivors’ experiences, and the second for the insights of experts.
We performed summary descriptive statistics on survivors’ sociodemographic characteristics and used thematic
analysis to assess their experiences of DV; and access to, patronage, and response of formal support services.
Results Of 21 DV survivors, 19 (90.1%) were aware of the existence of the DV law, however none was well informed
of their entitlements. DV survivors have low formal education and are not economically empowered. Some DV
survivors are revictimized in the process of accessing formal services. DV survivors expect the government to provide
them with shelter, upkeep, medical, and legal aid. All the 21 survivors had at least one contact with a women’s rights
organization and were knowledgeable of their supporting services namely legal services, temporary shelter, and
psychosocial support.
Conclusions The experiences of DV survivors do not reflect the legal provisions of Ghana’s DV Act. Government
under funding of formal services and negative gender norms are disempowering to survivors. NGOs are popular
among women survivors of DV in Ghana for the education, legal, and material support they provide. A close
collaboration between the government and NGOs could better mitigate DV in Ghana.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Domestic violence, Women survivors, Formal support services, Under funding