A Ghanaian police chief in charge of domestic violence has advised women to report husbands who come home late, especially if the situation causes them emotional stress.
“If your husband comes home late and causes you to be unhappy you can make a case at the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU),” the Central Regional Coordinator of DOVVSU, Mr George Appiah-Sakyi.
At a meeting with leaders of churches in the Cape Coast Metropolis on terrorism and other security issues, Mr Appiah-Sakyi said emotional abuses were also offences punishable under the Domestic Violence Act 732 of 2007.
For the married men, he said if they feel they are being denied sex by their jeans-wearing wives they can also report their wives to the police.
“Denying your spouse sex amounted to emotional abuse,” he noted
“If your wife wears jeans to sleep and causing you emotional abuse its an offence and you can report her to DOVVSU,” he stated.
For the women, he said, “if your husbands refuse to eat your food and make you unhappy and causes you emotional pain, you can also report them to the police”.
He noted that though these were offences that could be punishable, many did not know this and continued to perpetuate such offences.
Mr Appiah-Sakyi stated that many only reported physical abuses and not emotional abuses.
Economic abuse
Touching on economic abuse, he noted it included things one was entitled to but had been deprived of them.
“Some husbands even seize the certificates of their spouses is and prevent them from working,” and noted that this is economic abuse.
Mr Appiah-Sakyi explained that anything that made one jittery, unhappy and uncomfortable in a domestic relationship constituted an abuse under the Domestic Violence Act 732 of 2007.
He noted that many people were suffering in the domestic environment and could not maximise their God-given potential, adding this was affecting national productivity in some way .
Punishment
Mr Appiah-Sakyi said one found guilty of such offences might be sentenced to a maximum of two years imprisonment or to a fine of 500 penalty units which was equivalent to GH¢6,000 or both.
“In some instances, the court can ask the offender to compensate the victim or may even be asked to vacate the home”.
Source: Daily Mail GH
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