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ActionAid Ghana has appealed to government to expeditiously pass the Legislative Instrument (LI) on the Domestic Violence (DV) Act, to facilitate the elimination and prevention of gender-based domestic violence (GBDV) against women.

This is because there has been an increasing trend in the menace, as the case of assault or wife battery has been pervasive in homes, especially at the rural level.

Ms Christina Amarchey, Brong-Ahafo Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid Ghana who made the appeal at a COMBAT (Community Based Anti-violent Team) Day forum organized by the organization at Abesim, near Sunyani, also pleaded with government to “adopt COMBAT as community response to domestic violence”.

She furthermore urged the Police Administration to ensure the “setting up of DOVVSU offices in all Districts and Municipalities to link up the work of COMBATs to facilitate access to justice for victims of abuse”.

The forum on the theme: “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Elimination of gender-based violence is possible and imperative, ” was attended by female students from selected Senior High Schools within the Sunyani Municipality, and COMBAT members from the Tain, Banda and the Asutifi North and South Districts.

Other participants at the forum included traditional rulers, heads of departments, Assembly Women and the Media.

Ms Amarchey expressed joy that the day was a special occasion because it formed part of “ActionAid’s activities of this year’s 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence campaign”.

“Since 1991, 16 Days of Activism starting from November 25 , the International Day for the elimination of violence against women to December 10, Human Rights Day have been organised with a lot of activities across the world to call for actions to end violence against women and children”, she explained.

Ms. Amarchey gave the background of the COMBAT, saying the team worked with traditional authorities, community leaders and other identifiable community groups, to improve community sanity and maintain law and order.

She added that they had been very effective in educating community members on violence against women and girls, as well as assisted survivors of violence to access justice and ensured peaceful co-existence in rural homes.

Mrs. Halimatu Nuhu, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), lauded ActionAid for the formation of the COMBATs and the positive impacts being made by them in their communities.

Mrs. Nuhu, therefore, appealed to the organization to replicate it in the other districts and municipalities of the region.