By Victoria Agyemang
Cape Coast, Nov 27, GNA – The Youth Rise International (YoRI), a youth-led non-partisan NGO, has called on stakeholders, especially married men, to desist from all forms of violence against women and girls in society.
The NGO said research it conducted through community engagement indicated that children were the most affected when there was intimate partner violence (IPV) in the family.
Thus, children raised by families and homes where IPV is rife grow up to become perpetrators of violence, which affects the general growth of the country.
A statement signed by Mr David K. Awusi, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of YoRI, and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Cape Coast, said up to 70 per cent of women experienced physical or sexual violence from men in their life-time, majority being perpetrated by their partners.
The statement was issued as part of the observation of the International Day against Violence on Women and Girls.
The day is observed yearly by all nations to increase awareness on violence perpetrated against women and girls at the level of the community, society and country in general.
Globally, 38 per cent of murder cases were perpetrated against women by intimate mates, according to the World Health organisation (WHO), therefore, raising the alarm on the importance to implement stringent measures to address the canker.
Statistics from the Ghana Statistical Service indicate that in 2009, 33 to 37 per cent of women experienced domestic violence in the form of intimacy in relationships in Ghana.
Additionally, in schools, 14 per cent and 52 per cent of girls were victims of sexual abuse and gender based violence, respectively.
The statement said the figures may increase as violence against women and girls remained a hidden problem in the country.
It called on all victims to report to the appropriate bodies for action to be taken against perpetrators to serve as a deterrent to others.
“There is empirical and field experience that for women, physical violence during pregnancy is associated with maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity,” the statement said.
The cause of violence against women and girls was categorised under three factors; individual, relationship, and community.
The individual factor included young age, heavy drinking, depression, low income, witnessing or experiencing violence as a child.
Relationship include marital conflicts, marital instability, economic stress and poor family functioning, whereas those for community are poverty and weak community sanctions against violence.
The statement called for the inclusion of all stakeholders in decision making to impact positively on the lives of citizens to improve socio-economic development.
YoRI is a government-licensed non-governmental organisation that empowers the very poor, vulnerable, marginalised, socially excluded, and minority groups to break the cycle of extreme poverty and promote stronger families.
GNA