DOMESTIC VIOLENCE UNIT DOES NOT DESTROY RELATIONSHIPS - DSP TETTEH

(Daily Graphic, Jan 12, 2012, page 18)

DSP Tetteh

MANY victims of domestic violence in Tamale and other parts of the Northern Region feel reluctant to seek redress at the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) due to the fear of causing a break up of their relationships.

This fear is fuelled by the perception among many people that when perpetrators of domestic abuse are penalized for their acts, it tends to sour the existing bond between the offenders and their victims, as well as other close family and friends.

It is not surprising, therefore, to see a woman or man remaining in an abusive relationship just to protect his or her marriage or family ties.

However, the Northern Regional Co-ordinator of DOVVSU, DSP Stephen Anane Boye Tetteh, dispels the notion that DOVVSU destroys relationships.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in his office in Tamale, DSP Tetteh noted that what many people did not know was that DOVVSU’s mandate had both criminal and social support dimensions.

He pointed out that whiles the criminal aspect involves the prosecution of perpetrators of domestic abuse, the social support dimension focuses on helping create a safe and violent-free environment for domestic relationships to thrive.

DSP Tetteh explained that one way DOVVSU does this is by counselling both abusers and those abused to co-exist cordially in an atmosphere devoid of abuse.

He said, for instance, that when a parent is reported to the unit for neglecting his or her responsibilities to the child, DOVVSU does not proceed straight away to arrest the parent, arraign him or her and put the person behind bars.

“What we do is that we get this irresponsible parent to commit to fulfil his or her parental responsibilities and to avoid any future breaches of the law,” he noted.

DSP Tetteh said the unit had, on many occasions, counselled couples whose relationships had become sour due to one or several incidents of abuse and these couples resolved, henceforth, to stay together, although they had initially sworn to stay apart.

“DOVVSU works to promote reconciliation among people who are in domestic relationships. We let them see the effects of violence in the domestic set up and the need to shun violence of all forms,” he stated further.

DSP Tetteh noted that DOVVSU was not established solely for the police, since other institutions were needed to help pursue the social support dimension.

He said apart from the police, the unit had personnel from the social welfare department and other professionals, including psychologists.

Unfortunately, the apathy towards DOVVSU is one the factors that has led to the unit recording few cases in the Northern Region, even though many people are abused in their homes, workplaces and other domestic set ups regularly.

In 2010, the region recorded only a single reported case of exposing a child to harm and another single case of actually causing harm.

Twenty-two (22) of its cases constituted defilement, whiles 21 were classified as rape.

In a region where forced marriage is very rife in many rural communities, only five cases of compulsion of marriage were reported at DOVVSU. This is surely not the reality on the ground.

As expected, non-maintenance cases were among the highest as 40 of these cases were reported.

DSP Tetteh said the unit would intensify its sensitisation campaigns to get more victims to come out of their shelves and seek assistance, stressing that “DOVVSU does not destroy relationships.”

HEALTH AUTHORITIES INTENSIFY EDUCATION ON FAMILY PLANNING

(Daily Graphic, Oct 25, 2011, Page 11)

PUBLIC health authorities in the Northern Region have doubled their efforts to reach out to men on the need to accept the practice of family planning in order to manage their families effectively.

Statistics available estimate that the practice of Family Planning in the region was 26 per cent in 2008, 28.8 per cent in 2009 and 24.3 per cent in 2010.

These statistics, according to the health authorities, are uninspiring and reiterate the need to strengthen public health campaigns in the various communities so as to deepen the understanding, acceptance and practice of family planning.

The health authorities also noted that it is crucial to get more men to accept the concept of family planning, because it is the refusal of the men, who are decision makers, which was contributing to this lack of progress.

In line with this, the Northern Regional Health Directorate organised a durbar on family planning in Dalun in the Tolon/Kumbungu district to sensitise the inhabitants of the area, particularly the men folk, on the importance of family planning.

The durbar formed part of the region’s celebration of the annual ‘Contraceptive Week’, which is used to raise awareness about the types, uses and importance of contraceptives.

A Deputy Director of Nursing Services (DDNS) in charge of Public Health, Madam Margaret Nmini implored the men to get involved by accessing information on family planning and help their partners to make better choices.

She said family planning would help a man to manage his family because he would be able to decide when he is economically and psychologically prepared to have another child.

Madam Margaret said statistics collated by the public health unit indicated that in 2008, a total of 5,764 men in the region had accepted and were practicing family planning, whiles in 2009, the figure rose to 10,717 men.

“In 2010, we recorded a decline in the number, from over 10,000 to a little over 8,500, which is an indication that less number of men had accepted and were practicing family planning in that year. We are working towards increasing the number by the end of this year,” she stated.

The public health nurse deplored the low funding for family planning activities, noting that in spite of its numerous health and socio-economic benefits, family planning had been relegated.

She said the availability of reliable contraceptives to persons, irrespective of location or income status, was a vital step to boosting the practice of family planning.

According to the Director of Health Services for the Tolon/Kumbungu district, Hajia Awabu Sophia Mahama, her area was selected for the durbar because of the low numbers of families that were practicing family planning.

“It is clear that we need to do more sensitisation and outreach to ensure that the message gets down well to the people,” she stated.

Hajia Awabu mentioned that one of the reasons why many communities continued to reject family planning was due to the misconception about family planning.

She said many of the local people understood family planning to mean reducing the number of births.

“Certainly, many of the people would not comprehend why they should be asked not to have many children as they desired, especially when they grew up in large families.

“Rather, we need to be telling them that family planning means spacing the frequency of births so as to ensure that you have more control over your family’s size and also improve the health of the children and that of their mothers,” she noted.

Some of the men in Dalun told the Daily Graphic that they needed more education to understand family planning before deciding to opt for it.

“I cannot allow my wife to practice something I know little about and it is new to us. We know having many children can bring problems, but we value them,” remarked Afa Issah, a middle-aged man who has already given birth to four.

MORE WOMEN PRACTICE EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING IN NORTHERN REGION

EXCLUSIVE breastfeeding is on the increase in the Northern Region as more women, families and communities have accepted the practice.

This is the assessment of public health authorities in the region following a number of community outreaches that have contributed to deepening the understanding and appreciation of the benefits of breastfeeding among local communities.

Some few years back, some communities refused to accept the practice of exclusive and extended breastfeeding due to their firm adherence to traditional practices that did not recognise any of these.

Apart from preventing newborns from taking the yellowish milk that flows from their mother’s breasts on their first attempt, these communities also preferred giving newborns water along with breast milk, even before the babies reached their sixth month.

These practices had been a source of worry to health personnel in the region, thereby necessitating an intensified campaignon breastfeeding in local communities.

Speaking at a durbar to mark the annual BreastfeedingWeek at the Tamale West Hospital, the Northern Regional Nutrition Officer, Mr Sofo Muntari noted that these unhealthy practices were on the decline.

“Through our rounds in the various communities,we have realised that many families now allow lactating mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding,” he stated.

Mr Muntari said what was even pleasing was that these families and communities no more objected to their newborns taking in the yellowish milk.

“The first milk is very crucial to the baby’s wellbeing. It contains a number of nutrients that would propel the baby’s physical and mental growth and also strengthen the baby’s immune system,” he explained.

Mr Muntari further noted that women in the local communities now testify that exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding up to two years impacts positively on the health of both mothers and their babies.

He mentioned, for instance, that some of the women had noticed that proper breastfeeding had helped in delaying theirnext pregnancies.

He also mentioned that the women hadequally observed that babies who benefitted from exclusive and extended breastfeeding looked healthier and fell sick less often than those who were denied.

The Nutrition Officer said apart from these, proper breastfeeding also binds a child to the mother and makes the child to be emotionally stable.

A number of pregnant women and lactatingmothers who were at the durbar to learn more about breastfeeding shared theirexperiences with the Daily Graphic.

“My husband is one who does not joke with the advice of nurses, so he ensures that I always give our baby onlybreast milk,” a mother of a four-month-old baby boy, Issah Ayisha stated.

She said her child had a lot of weightdue to the breast milk and so she was optimistic he would grow thicker than hisfather, who she described as slim.

A seven-month-old pregnant woman, Fati Mohammed, said although she had learnt a lot about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, she would have wished her parents and husband were also at the forum, so they could equally appreciate the message.

MORE WOMEN PRACTICE EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING

(Daily Graphic, Oct 22, 2011, Page 11)

EXCLUSIVE breastfeeding is on the increase in the Northern Region as more women, families and communities have accepted the practice.

This is the assessment of public health authorities in the region following a number of community outreaches that have contributed to deepening the understanding and appreciation of the benefits of breastfeeding among local communities.

Some few years back, some communities refused to accept the practice of exclusive and extended breastfeeding due to their firm adherence to traditional practices that did not recognise any of these.

Apart from preventing newborns from taking the yellowish milk that flows from their mother’s breasts on their first attempt, these communities also preferred giving newborns water along with breast milk, even before the babies reached their sixth month.

These practices had been a source of worry to health personnel in the region, thereby necessitating an intensified campaign on breastfeeding in local communities.

Speaking at a durbar to mark the annual Breastfeeding Week at the Tamale West Hospital, the Northern Regional Nutrition Officer, Mr Sofo Muntari noted that these unhealthy practices were on the decline.

“Through our rounds in the various communities, we have realised that many families now allow lactating mothers to practice exclusive breastfeeding,” he stated.

Mr Muntari said what was even pleasing was that these families and communities no more objected to their newborns taking in the yellowish milk.

“The first milk is very crucial to the baby’s wellbeing. It contains a number of nutrients that would propel the baby’s physical and mental growth and also strengthen the baby’s immune system,” he explained.

Mr Muntari further noted that women in the local communities now testify that exclusive breastfeeding and breastfeeding up to two years impacts positively on the health of both mothers and their babies.

He mentioned, for instance, that some of the women had noticed that proper breastfeeding had helped in delaying their next pregnancies.

He also mentioned that the women had equally observed that babies who benefitted from exclusive and extended breastfeeding looked healthier and fell sick less often than those who were denied.

The Nutrition Officer said apart from these, proper breastfeeding also binds a child to the mother and makes the child to be emotionally stable.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Northern Regional Minister, Mr Bukari Moses Mabengba said the government had thrown its weight behind breastfeeding campaigns because it is crucial if the country is to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

He said when mothers practice breastfeeding in its right form, it improves they and their children’s health, thereby reducing child and maternal mortality.

He also noted that breastfeeding had the potential to help countries reduce poverty as contained in the MDGs, because through breastfeeding, babies and children get access to good food and medicine at no cost to their mothers and the entire family.

Meanwhile, as part of the breastfeeding week celebrations, the Tiyumba Drama Group in Tamale staged a drama to drive home the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and by so doing demonstrated the problems that occur when families refuse to practice it.

A number of pregnant women and lactating mothers who were at the durbar to learn more about breastfeeding shared their experiences with the Daily Graphic.

“My husband is one who does not joke with the advice of nurses, so he ensures that I always give our baby only breast milk,” a mother of a four-month-old baby boy, Issah Ayisha stated.

She said her child had a lot of weight due to the breast milk and so she was optimistic he would grow thicker than his father, who she described as slim.

A seven-month-old pregnant woman, Fati Mohammed, said although she had learnt a lot about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, she would have wished her parents and husband were also at the forum, so they could equally appreciate the message.

WOMEN IN BUIPE MARCH FOR PEACE - Canadian High Commissioner joins (Daily Graphic, Oct 4, 2011, Page 11)

THE Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ms Trudy Kernighan over the weekend joined women from the two feuding factions in the chieftaincy dispute in Buipe in the Northern Region to hold a peace march.

The march, organised by the West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP), Ghana, and the Canadian High Commission, was expected to put pressure on the factions to resolve their differences and let there be peace in Buipe.

Buipe has experienced some uneasy calm on a number of occasions due to a protracted chieftaincy dispute between the Jinapor and Lebu gates.

Women leaders from the two gates noted that the conflict was retarding development in Buipe and this impacted negatively on the lives of women and children.

Ms Mankari Barchisu Kinshiwuripe of the Lebu gate told the Daily Graphic that women in Buipe could not undertake their economic activities anytime the conflict turned violent.

“When we do not engage in economic activities, we won’t get income to take care of our families and we would remain poor,” she said, adding that women from the Lebu gate were ever prepared to dialogue with their colleagues from the other side so as to bring lasting peace to Buipe.

A representative of the Jinapor gate, Ms Mariama Yakubu said women from the Jinapor gate were equally prepared to dialogue with their counterparts from the other side.

“We can only make progress when we sit together and talk, bring out the issues from our hearts and find the way forward. We are tired of the fighting,” she stated.

A board member of WANEP-Ghana, Mr Theophilus Dokurugu described the march as very significant and historic.

He said the peace march was not an idea of WANEP-Ghana, but that of the women of Buipe, adding that they made the decision to undertake the march at the close of a dialogue meeting held some weeks earlier.

“For the women themselves to choose to embark on a march to demonstrate their dislike for the conflict and their love for peace is an indication of their preparedness to resolve their differences,” he noted.

On her part, the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana said the march was a reflection of how women could actively promote peace and dialogue, instead of always claiming to be victims.

“My greatest hope is that we have motivated the rest of the community in Buipe to move forward and resolve to peacefully settle the ongoing dispute,” she intimated.

EPA REVIEWS DRAFT GENDER MAINSTREAMING STRATEGY (Daily Graphic, Oct 4, 2011, Page 11)

THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing a draft gender mainstreaming strategy which is to ensure that both men and women benefit equitably from various interventions aimed at reversing and mitigating the impact of desertification.

It would also ensure that women, just as their male counterparts, are involved at all levels of decision-making with regards to natural resource and environmental governance.

The main objective of the strategy, known as the Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan (GESAP), is to mainstream gender perspectives into the implementation of the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP).

As part of the review of the gender strategy, the EPA and the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) organised a stakeholders’ forum in Tamale to seek views to enrich the document.

A number of environmentalists, representatives of non-governmental organisations and heads of institutions attended the forum.

It was acknowledged at the forum that although women played vital roles in ensuring food security at the household and community levels, they had limited or no access to land, inputs, finances, technologies and expertise.

Again, it was noted that the impact of desertification on women and children in rural communities would be graver because access to water, foodstuffs and firewood would become increasingly difficulty.

The participants thereby stressed the need for the strategy to ensure that women benefit adequately from alternate livelihood and adaptation schemes.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Acting Executive Director of the EPA, Mr Daniel Amlalo said the strategy was prepared by a National Gender Committee which was constituted by the EPA in its bid to effectively address the issue of gender equality in the implementation of GEMP.

The committee, he noted, had representatives from various institutions, including the EPA, Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs, National Development Planning Commission and Water Resources Commission.

Mr Amlalo explained that gender mainstreaming was important at all levels because socio-economic development, because women, men and youth play essential roles in the management of natural resources, including soil, water, forests and energy.

“The integration of gender into the GEMP would therefore ensure the full realization of the project goal in terms of outputs, impacts and outcome,” he stated.

The GEMP is a five-year project aimed at reversing desertification in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions by building the capacities of communities and environmental institutions.

The project, which started in 2008, is already in its fourth year, but many environmentalists are very sceptical about its success at the grassroots level.

EMPOWERING WOMEN FOR PEACE-BUILDING - WANEP TAKES A STEP (DG, SEPT 20, 2011, PAGE 11)

WOMEN have often been noted as being among the vulnerable groups during violent conflicts. Apart from being victims of abuse, they lose their economic livelihoods, as well as their families. Some scholars in conflict and development issues however opine that women must play active roles in peace-building efforts in their communities so they could help create an environment safe for them and their families. Agreeing with this line of thought, the United Nations (UN) Security Council, in 2000, adopted Resolution 1325, which stresses the need for women to have “equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security.” In an attempt to give meaning to this resolution, the West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP), Ghana, has been implementing a number of initiatives aimed at incorporating women in Northern Ghana into conflict resolution processes. Key among these initiatives is a series of training programmes on peace-building and conflict early warning system for selected women from areas in the north where conflicts are simmering or in its manifest stages. Like many other parts of the country, Northern Ghana has had its share of communal and political conflicts, fuelled by ethnic and chieftaincy disputes, as well as disputes over land and other resources. WANEP’s objective is therefore to build the capacity of some selected women in the north to support peace-building by promoting dialogue among the women folk. In this direction, WANEP, in partnership with the Canadian High Commission, has been imparting to these women the skills needed to facilitate conflict resolution, such as negotiation, dialogue and mediation. Through the training, the women also learn to appreciate the nature, sources, types and stages in conflict and its related nuances. In addition, WANEP-Ghana also develops the skills of the women to identify and pick up conflict early warning signals and communicate it to appropriate institutions for early response. The essence of this is to prevent the escalation of conflicts that could have been resolved during its latent stages. At one of such training workshops in Buipe, the capital of the Central Gonja district, Mr Theophilus Dokurugu, a board member of WANEP-Ghana, told the Daily Graphic that women were usually better placed to identify signs of impending danger. “They easily realise that there is conflict when the men begin to act in very unusual ways, such as meeting at odd times and giving unnecessary caution to their wives in relation to how they relate with other people,” he explained. Mr Dokurugu again mentioned that promoting dialogue among feuding groups is likely to be more successful when the women from these groups are willing to talk, socialise and demonstrate to the men that they are willing to co-exist in spite of their differences. “If you go to the market and the women are so embittered that they are not even willing to sit side by side to do business, ensuring dialogue becomes more and more difficult,” he stated. The Buipe peace workshop, which was supported by the district assembly, involved 30 women, 24 of whom were selected from the Lebu and Jinapor gates of the Buipe chieftaincy divide. Buipe was selected as one of the beneficiary districts of WANEP’s peace initiatives due to a protracted chieftaincy dispute that has threatened on a number of occasions to destroy the fragile peace in the area. Mr Justin Bayor, the National Network Co-ordinator of WANEP-Ghana, mentioned that apart from imparting skills to the women in Buipe, WANEP also creates an enabling environment for them to have frank discussions about some of the thorny issues that mostly spark or fuel conflicts in the area. “During the training, the women go into facilitated dialogue sessions, during which they document the issues, concerns and fears of women from both chieftaincy factions and seek a way forward in order to build bridges amongst them,” he intimated. Speaking at the training programme, the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ms Trudy Kernighan said although women were vulnerable in conflict situations, they could also be powerful agents for peace-building. She said the need for women’s full and equal participation in peace-building was not a mere wish, but a fundamental objective of the UN’s Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security that must be fulfilled.

IMPROVING MATERNAL HEALTH - EFFORTS BY TAMALE TEACHING HOSPITAL (PAGE 11, DG, SEPT 6, 2011)

IMPROVING the health of women remains very crucial to the health of the entire population and this explains why the United Nations includes this in its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Goal four of the MDGs is directed towards “reducing by three quarters the ratio of women dying in childbirth.” How each nation is working to attain these goals remains essential because, as the former UN Secretary-General, Busumburu Kofi Annan, once stated: “It is not in the UN that the MDGs will be achieved. They have to be achieved in each of its member states, by the joint efforts of their governments and people.” The Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), being the only one of its kind in Northern Ghana is expected to play a key role in reducing maternal and child deaths in the country. Apart from being a major referral point for emergency cases, it also boasts of a number of specialists, including obstetric gynaecologists and paediatricians, who can provide comprehensive maternal and child care. The provision of maternal care at the TTH has, however, encountered challenges over the years and this is evidenced in the situation where mothers and their babies are compelled to use the floor due to the lack of space. In the wake of increased patient numbers, the labour, maternity and gynaec wards have been overwhelmed, leading to some instances of poor service delivery. Recent statistics indicate that the TTH records about 7000 deliveries in a year and about 12-15 per cent are through caesarean operations. In many cases, women with labour and abortion-related complications are brought to the facility when their condition has worsened and not much can be done to save them. In 2007, the hospital recorded 74 maternal deaths. There was a significant reduction in the number of these deaths to 54 and 52 in 2008 and 2009, respectively. In 2010, 33 incidents of maternal deaths were recorded, indicating a considerable decline, in spite of increasing number of births. Eclampsia, unsafe abortion, postpartum haemorrhage, severe anaemia and sepsis and septicaemia have been identified as the main causes of these deaths. Although one can observe a decline in the number of maternal deaths at the TTH, it is still regrettable that women should continue to lose their lives in an attempt to procreate. According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the TTH, Dr Ken Sagoe, the incidences of maternal deaths have remained a concern for the management. “We are not comfortable with these deaths, which we have been working hard over the years to avoid. Many of them are as a result of delayed referrals,” he lamented, adding that the pressure on the facility keeps increasing thereby distorting any progress made. Dr Sagoe however thinks that the difficulties facing the maternity, labour and gynae wards would minimise greatly when the rehabilitation of the hospital is completed. In May 2010, the rehabilitation and expansion of the TTH commenced after the government secured funds from the government of the Netherlands to support the project. The first phase of the project, which involves the construction of a new four-storey block at the eastern side of the hospital, is at the completion stages. Among the units to be housed at the new block are an improved labour and delivery wards and more operating theatres. “The issue of overcrowding would be no more because there would be adequate space for the labour and maternity wards, as well as more theatres,” Dr Sagoe stated. Unfortunately, the problem with the labour and maternity wards does not only have to do with inadequate space, but also has everything to do with poor attitudes of some of the staffs. Whiles a number of the nurses conduct their duties professionally and show compassion when dealing with clients, a handful of them behave as if they were literally pulled from their comfort zones and forced into the wards. These poor attitudes have repeatedly attracted public displeasure and led to a situation where some clients rush to the press to express their frustrations over the way and manner they were treated. Certainly, the management of the TTH cannot be impressed about the situation where a few bad nuts tarnish the image of the entire nursing flock. “We have noted with concern these grey areas and we have repeatedly sounded a note of caution to our workers to be reminded each time about their unique roles,” Dr Sagoe stated. He said one thing he had learnt over his several years of medical practice was that “the frustrations of a single dissatisfied client can spread faster than the joy of a many satisfied clients.” “We have instituted a number of measures to check the professional conduct of our workers. We have also been holding in-service training to build their capacities to deliver as expected,” the CEO mentioned, adding that “we want our staff to understand that we are now a teaching hospital and must deliver to par.” The head of the labour and maternity wards, Dr David Kolbilla, however, entreats the public to have some considerations for the nurses, noting that they were constantly working under duress. “They are humans and they are bound to succumb to pressure sometimes,” he said. Fortunately for the TTH, it now has about 70 midwives out of over 700 nurses and this is a boost to its efforts to improve maternal care. It is imperative for the management of the TTH to strengthen its efforts towards improving maternal health because the health of our mothers, wives and sisters is inevitably linked to the health of the entire nation.