Abstract:
Over the years, in addressing issues of violence against women, the focus had always
been on men as the perpetrators and women as victims. However, that is not always
the situation. Women also perpetrate violence against their fellow women. This study
examined violence against women in Winneba in the Effutu Municipality. The study
focused on woman as victims and perpetrators of violence against women. The study
explored the forms, causes and effects of violence against women as well as the
support seeking behaviour of victims. The study draws upon the ecological model
which considers violence against women as an outcome of interacting factors at four
levels and the social learning theory which explain the phenomenon as the effect of
generational transmission of violence. The qualitative research approach was
employed. The research design adopted for the study was phenomenology. A total
population of seventeen (17) respondents were involved in the study. In obtaining
data, the interview guide was administered to the respondents who were sampled
using the purposive and snowballing techniques. The study revealed that unequal
power relations, suspicion of infidelity, experiencing violence as a child were the
main reasons why women perpetrate violence various forms of violence against
women in Winneba while poverty and single parenting made other women victims of
such violence. Also, there was a general consensus among the participants that
violence against women had negative consequences on both victims and perpetrators.
However, most victims of violence against women did not report to the appropriate
quarters and the few who did found the whole process to be tedious and time
consuming. Based upon these findings, the study recommended that stakeholders
such as DOVVSU, Ministry of gender, child and social protection and CHRAJ
formulate policies to address risk factors at the individual, relationship, community
and societal levels. These stakeholders should also encourage victims of violence
against women to report violence to the appropriate institutions by creating awareness
on the existence of such institutions and making the process less tedious. Religious
and non- governmental organisations within the communities in Winneba in the
Effutu Municipality should embark on women empowerment programmes that will
help reduce women dependency on others which will in turn help reduce violence
against women.
Description:
A thesis in the Department of Social Studies Education,
Faculty of Social Sciences Education, submitted to the
School of Graduate Studies, in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Social Studies)
in the University of Education, Winneba
JULY, 2020