Women in communities have been urged to take advantage of the processes available under the law to seek remedies for domestic violence.
This was a key aspect of the message delivered by Madam Adelaide Benneh Prempeh, a leading lawyer, when she addressed a community of stakeholders at Okushibiade, a rural community on the outskirts of Accra.
The training seminar was organised by B&P Associates, Lawyers and Consultants (BPA), a law firm in Accra, in conjunction with Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF) Ghana, a leading NGO, as part of BPA’s celebration of International Women’s Day 2023.
The training session was facilitated by a team of lawyers from BPA, including a visiting student delegation from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.
The session was held at the Okushiebiade Methodist School in in the Ga West Municipality, and was heavily patronised by students and women and leadership of the community.
Lawyer David William Akuoku-Nyantakyi and Lawyer Bessy Agyeiwaa Crentsil, both of BPA, delivered the training session, providing a detailed overview of the protections provided under Ghanaian laws in respect of Domestic Violence.
The team from WILDAF buttressed the session with real life scenarios and examples of domestic abuse which take the form of physical, emotional and psychological harm.
They advised participants on the right causes of action to take in the event of such abuses being perpetrated on them or witnessed by them.
Madam Naomi, a citizen of the community echoed the sentiments of the community members by thanking BPA and WILDAF for the session.
She noted that many of them were not aware of these provisions of the law, and now felt empowered to speak up and report cases of abuse.
A cross section of the community indicated that they have been educated on how to insist on their rights when dealing with authorities.
Mr. Di’Vennci Lucas and Miss. Virginia Richards, speaking on behalf of their fellow colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School stated: “It is a truly valuable experience for us to be able to take part in this experience. Its is interesting to note similar patterns and forms, as regards the challenge of domestic abuse here and in our communities back in the United States. This underscores the fact that domestic abuse is a universal problem, and we all need to work to eradicate it.”
Madam Benneh Prempeh in her remarks said, “Although B&P Associates is a primarily Corporate and Commercial Legal practice, our areas of practice include family, divorce and children matters which invariably have elements of domestic violence. Pro bono work is an integral part of the firm’s culture and our mission is to widen access to justice and to promote education of the law and its usefulness in society. Our focus is to give back to the community in which we operate by pursuing opportunities of community legal outreach, making a positive contribution where our services are most needed. We chose to partner with WiLDAF on the occasion of International Women’s Day as it is an organisation with an extensive network in Ghana and beyond, that seeks to use the law as a tool for development to ensure that women’s rights are respected, promoted and respected. It is our hope to strengthen the capacity and efforts of such effective NGOs who are already in the field doing an excellent job in communities like Okushibiade. We all need to support to shine a light of domestic violence which predominantly affects women, as it has a substantially negative effect on adults and children in the family, with a spill-over effect on progress of the wider community.”
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