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Women have been advised to stop the practice of providing dowry to their would-be husbands for them to present to their (women) parents as bride price.

The Northern Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service (GPS), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Holortu, who gave the advice, said such a practice was dangerous and could amount to courting domestic violence.

He gave the advice when he made a presentation at an orientation on gender-based violence laws and management of domestic violence cases for members of the Kpandai District Domestic Violence Committee at Kpandai.

The orientation, which focused on the Domestic Violence Act, Criminal Offences Act and the Children’s Act, was to enhance community participation in the enforcement of laws against cases of sexual and gender-based violence in the district.

Domestic Violence Committees

DOVVSU in collaboration with the Northern Regional Coordinating Council and with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has formed 21 Domestic Violence Committees in the Kpandai District to help create awareness of domestic violence and report such cases for prosecution.

ASP Holortu said women who provided dowry for their marriages were bound to suffer domestic violence, as well as divorce as their husbands believed that their wives forced them into the marriage.

He said such situations were common in the country, saying it was the duty of men to provide the dowry to show their love and commitment for the marriage.

He also spoke against forced marriages, saying people should be allowed to choose their partners to avoid domestic violence associated with such marriages.

ASP Holortu spoke about the cases of domestic violence being recorded in the region, calling for inter-agency collaboration to prosecute perpetrators of such crimes to reduce the trend.

Commendation

He commended members of the Kpandai District Domestic Violence Committee for the hard work, which he said, had led to increased reporting of domestic violence cases in the district.

Sixty cases of domestic violence were recorded in the Kpandai District in 2016 as against 13 cases in the first quarter of this year.

The Kpandai District Coordinating Director, Mr Samuel Owusu Boateng, urged members of the Domestic Violence Committees at the district to intensify their efforts to ensure increased awareness of domestic violence and support for victims, as well as report such cases for prosecution to reduce the trend.

A member of the Domestic Violence Committee from Balai Community at the district, Madam Stella Amoani said the orientation had helped to better explain domestic violence cases and how to handle such cases in relation to the laws of the country.