Collective Activism: The Domestic Violence Bill becoming Law in Ghana

Ampofo, Akosua Adomako

doi:10.1163/156921008x359597

Cited by 50 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…This implies that the incidence of GBV and its associated injuries are being controlled by the geographic and cultural context. Ghana's low rate of DV/GBV is likely due to the growing (women) movements and relentless effort toward instituting full laws against DV (Ampofo, 2008), but the prevalence of the health effect of DV/GBV was surprisingly high for the country. This prevalence, in comparison with other countries, could also be attributed to higher reporting rates of DV/GBV within Ghana.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent times, activism to end abuse and violence of women and girls has become evident across the globe (Collins, 2018). Ampofo (2008) gave a detailed account of women's movements in Africa with particular reference to Ghanaian women's activism. In addition, there are some emerging women's movements equipped to respond or inform women about DV/ GBV issues in Africa (Britton, 2006;Meintjes, 2003;Weldon, 2006;Weldon & Htun, 2013).…”

Section: Laws and Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Determinants of Gender-Based Violence and Its Physiological Effects Among Women in 12 African Countries

Iyanda

Boakye

Olowofeso

et al. 2019

J Interpers Violence

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Goals 3 and 5 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are to promote good health and well-being and to achieve gender equality, respectively. To successfully move toward these goals in the area of gender equality, there is the need to understand the underlying legislative or laws that protect women and girls from all forms of domestic violence (DV), including gender-based violence (GBV). The cardinal objective of this study, therefore, was to examine the risk factors of GBV and the physiological effects of GBV. To date, few studies have quantified the relationship between laws on DV and the incidence of DV/GBV. This article fills that gap by using Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data of 12 African countries. We applied multivariate logistic regression to estimate the association of the absence of laws on DV, men dominant power, history of violence, alcohol consumption, women’s attitude toward men’s violence perpetration, and decision-making power with the scores of GBV and physiological effects of GBV. Group Kruskal–Wallis Rank test was used to determine the variation of the two outcomes among the 12 countries. Results show significant disparities in the score of GBV, H test (11) = 168,217, p < .001, and score of physiological effects, H test (11) = 122,127, p < .001, among the 12 countries. Specifically, Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Togo reported the highest physiological effect of GBV. Presence of DV laws, male dominance, alcohol consumption, history of abuse, and women empowerment predict GBV and the physiological effect of GBV. Thus, building strong legal frameworks against all forms of DV and empowering women may reduce the incidence of GBV and physiological effects of GBV for all African women.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Laws and Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of Gender-Based Violence and Its Physiological Effects Among Women in 12 African Countries

Iyanda

Boakye

Olowofeso

et al. 2019

J Interpers Violence

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“…Tsikata (1989) records that the Convention People's Party (CPP) developed its women and youth wings to marshal massive popular support and also to form women's groups-including the Ghana Women's League (GWL). In recognition of this contribution, the CPP introduced a number of measures to enhance women's political participation when it came to power at independence, including the establishment of the national women's association, the National Council of Ghana Women, in 1960. As Adomako-Ampofo (2008 argues, although the association was not independent from the government, it offered women a space for organization, training, and development.…”

Section: Critical Junctures and Women's Engagement In Politics (1950s-80s)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bringing together varying elements of the women's movement in Ghana, which included a range of different types of civil society organizations, academics, journalists, lawyers, and grassroots advocacy groups, coalitions helped overcome potential weaknesses naturally inherent in collective action within the women's movement. A strong secretariat, a capable coordinator, and a highly committed core of leaders ensured that the membership rose from about 15 people to over 100 groups, organizations, and individuals and that a clear campaigning and mobilization strategy was adhered to (Adomako-Ampofo 2008, Tsikata 2009b. Realizing that the passage of a domestic violence bill was going to be a tough and long drawn-out struggle, the coalition also started to reach out to other potential allies, including the female caucus in parliament, some male MPs, and students.…”

Section: Coalition-building and Informal Negotiationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Negotiating Gender Equity in the Global South

Nazneen¹,

Hickey

Sifaki³

2019

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This book provides exciting new ways of thinking about how women's rights policy change occurs in the Global South. Drawing on meso-level analysis of how six countries passed legislation to combat domestic violence, the book shows, for example, the importance of forming strategic alliances around the interests and ideas of dominant actors; the role of elite cohesion; and the politics of ideas and discursive framing of gender equity. It is certain to influence contemporary thinking about gender-related policy reform and, as such, it is a must read for international and domestic policy makers, women's rights activists, donors, scholars of gender and politics, and many others.'

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“…Societal fears of being overrun by rebellious women who neglect husbands and children are palpable. This was clear, for example, even in the discussions surrounding the 2007 Domestic Violence Act in which the Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs cautioned that the legislation—which her ministry was supposed to be championing—could lead to the breakup of families (Adomako Ampofo 2008). A similar ambivalence can be found in the discourses of contemporary Christian religious movements and the doctrines of leading male church leaders which hearken “to idyllic notions of Euro-domesticity that could be inimical to women’s autonomy” (Adomako Ampofo & Okyerefo 2014:165) even as they address some of the abuses of contemporary gender politics such as spousal abuse and parental neglect.…”

Section: Performances Of Femininity and Masculinity In Ghanaian Societymentioning

confidence: 99%

Expressions of Masculinity and Femininity in Husbands’ Care of Wives with Cancer in Accra

Atobrah¹,

Ampofo²

2016

Afr. stud. rev.

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This article explores the care that husbands in Accra, Ghana, provide for wives who have been diagnosed with cancer. Making use of an inductive, qualitative approach, the study analyzes observations of and in-depth ethnographic interviews conducted with five married female cancer patients and their husbands over a ten-month period. The results suggest a strong association among husbands' care, wives' responses to husbands' care, and cultural ideals of femininity and masculinity. The findings suggest that husbands' selective and often limited gender-based investments in unpaid care work make their sick wives exceedingly vulnerable in a context in which care for the terminally ill takes place predominately in familial settings.Résumé: Cet article explore les soins fournis par les maris aux femmes qui ont été diagnostiquées avec le cancer, à Accra, au Ghana. A l'aide d'une approche inductive, qualitative, l'étude analyse les observations extraites d'entretiens ethnographiques approfondis menés auprès de cinq femmes mariées, atteintes de cancer, et leurs maris, durant une période de dix mois. Les résultats suggèrent une forte association entre le soin des maris, les réponses des femmes aux soins des maris, et les idéaux culturels de féminité et de masculinité. Les résultats suggèrent que les investissements des maris dans la réalisation de soin non rémunérés qui sont fondés sur le genre et sont sélectifs et souvent limités, rendent les épouses malades très vulnéra-bles puisqu'elles se trouvent dans un contexte dans lequel les soins pour les malades en phase terminale a lieu principalement dans les milieux familiaux.

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Collective Activism: The Domestic Violence Bill becoming Law in Ghana

Cited by 50 publications

References 1 publication

Determinants of Gender-Based Violence and Its Physiological Effects Among Women in 12 African Countries

Determinants of Gender-Based Violence and Its Physiological Effects Among Women in 12 African Countries

Negotiating Gender Equity in the Global South

Expressions of Masculinity and Femininity in Husbands’ Care of Wives with Cancer in Accra

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