Challenges Undermining Domestic Violence Victims’ Access to Justice in Mampong Municipality of Ghana

Abstract

Domestic violence is severe human rights predicament that transcends cultural, economic, social and religious ranks. It hinders human dignity, health and in the long period become a main problem to socio-economic and political growth. This study examined the challenges undermining domestic violence victims’ access to justice in Mampong Municipality of Ghana Qualitative research designed was used for this study and sample size for the study was 80 respondents. The study population comprised all individuals who were presently residing at Mampong Municipality and have been a victim of domestic violence after the coming into force of the Ghana’s Domestic violence Act 732 of 2007 and the study used purposive and snowball sampling methods in selecting respondents. In-depth unstructured interview and observation were the research instruments used to collect the data. Interviewees said infidelity, polygamous relationships, and quarrels over maintenance, substance abuse including alcohol and limited economic opportunities as a result of unemployment are the major causes of domestic violence and all the respondents hold the belief that domestic violence is a private, family issue which discourages Ghanaian domestic violence victims’ from reporting their abuses to the justice system and this creates huge pressure on victims to settle domestic violence matters privately and this affects the response of the criminal justice system. The study concluded that domestic violence is a multifaceted process influenced by numerous factors and domestic violence is a pervasive problem in Ghana and recommended that an efficient approach should be adopted to expose the wickedness in domestic violence to the people. Policy makers should put in place programmes targeted at individuals to inculcate in them the culture of frowning on domestic violence without compromise.

Keywords: domestic violence, justice, human rights, spousal abuse, social protection, Ghana