What is a Domestic Relationship?
"Domestic violence is much more than physical violence"
Domestic Violence Teaching Series
Signs of Domestic Violence
Destructive criticism and verbal abuse: shouting/mocking/accusing/name calling/verbally threatening
Pressure tactics: threatening to withhold money disconnect the telephone, take the car away, commit suicide, take the children away, lying to your friends and family about you, not allowing you to make your own decisions, refusing to give you chop money
Disrespect: persistently putting you down in front of other people, not listening or responding when you talk, interrupting your telephone calls, taking money from your purse or wallet without asking
Breaking trust: lying to you, withholding information from you, being jealous, having other relationships, breaking promises and shared agreements.
Isolation: monitoring or blocking your telephone calls, telling you where you can and cannot go, preventing you from seeing friends and relatives
Harassment: following you, checking up on you, opening your mail, repeatedly checking to see who has telephoned you, embarrassing you in public
Threats: making angry gestures, using physical size to intimidate, shouting you down, destroying your possessions, breaking things, wielding a knife or a gun, threatening to kill or harm you and the children
Sexual violence: punching, slapping, hitting, biting, pinching, kicking, pulling hair out, pushing, shoving, burning, strangling
Denial: saying the abuse doesn't happen, saying you caused the abusive behaviour, being publicly gentle and patient, crying and begging for forgiveness, saying it will never happen again
Domestic Relationship Examples
Example 1: "My family shares quarters with another family, our co-tenants are not very friendly with us. When the man comes home from work and is in a foul mood he will take it out on my husband. Sometimes he will beat him so hard that he will make him bleed."
Example 2: "I have a child with a man who I am not married to. Because we have been intimate in the past, he feels that he can continue to ask for sex. I have said no but he won't stop. We don't live together but have to continue to see each other because of your child."
Example 3: "I work as a maid for a family. Anytime Madame is not around I worry that her husband will force me to have sex with him. It has happened once before and I am scared to lose my job."
Although the above situations do not involve family members or in some cases people who live in the same house, abuse that occurs within these relationships are protected under the Domestic Violence Act.
What Is a Domestic Relationship
A domestic relationship is much more than simply a relationship between husband and wife. It is one that happens in a domestic setting. The definition includes all family relationships. this applies to spouses, children, parents, grandparents, in-laws, uncles, aunts, cousins, and all other relatives that are connected to the victim by blood, through marriage and even adoption.
It is important to note that an abused does not necessarily have to be your family member or even someone that lives in the same house as you.
Domestic Relationship Example
"Any time our family gets together my uncle makes very insulting sexual comments about me when nobody else is listening. It is very embarrassing"
It is considered domestic violence even if the family member abusing you does not live in the same house as you.
Domestic Relations are Not Always Family Members
Some of your relationships that exist outside of the family may also be considered domestic relationships. According to the Domestic Violence Act, the following relationships are domes of the no-family relationships include in the definition of a domestic relationship:
- A relationship formed through engagement, courting or any relationship that resembles marriage even if you and the other individual are not legally married
- A relationship whereby you and another individual are expecting a child together
- A relationship where you live with the abused but you are not necessarily married or even related to each other. this could include a servant/master, roommates/friends, boyfriend/girlfriend, landlord/tenant/co-tenant and others
- A relationship in which you and another individual spend time (romantic or other) in a domestic setting with each other but do not necessarily live together.
Just because the person who is making you uncomfortable is a friend or family member does not mean that their behaviour is justified.
Contact
WiLDAF Ghana
Accra Phone: 233 302 768349
Volta Region Office: 233 3620 26076
Western Region Office: 233 3120 21552
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Other Legal Organization Service Providers:
FIDA Ghana (International Federation for Women Lawyers)233 302 229283
Women's Help Organizations
Ark Foundation 233 302 511610
Ark Foundation Crisis Response Line 233 243 777773
WISE (Women's Initiative for Self Empowerment) 233 302 781003
DOVVSU (Domestic Violence Support Unit) 233 302 687744, 233 302 662438
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