Women's Voices

WOMANKIND is working with 5 organisations across Ghana to reduce the high levels of violence against women.

Our programme sets up, trains and supports local Community Based Action Teams (COMBATs) - of local men and women – to provide support and basic counselling and mediation for women experiencing violence, in particular domestic violence. Emphasis is also placed on training traditional and religious leaders and 'sensitisation' work with local services such as hospitals, the police and local government.

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empty I cannot believe that today I am sitting in a group with men, women and young women, together, talking about violence. When I was younger nobody talked about it. The only way you could tell, was in the morning you saw the woman with bruises and a sad face. empty
Magazia in Zebilla, Ghana

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Ghanaian boy with scarification
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empty Since the sensitisation began in this community, my husband has stopped beating me for not wanting to have sex at a particular time. These days, if he wants to have sex and I am not ready or interested, I tell him and he does not beat me. empty
Awinbord, Ghana

REDUCING VIOLENCE

While many men abhor violence against any woman, many others routinely use women as punch-bags, sexual goods there for the taking, and as living, breathing tokens of family honour. WOMANKIND Worldwide provides practical ways of enabling women to escape violence, speak out about it, and change the attitudes that allow it to happen.

These are just some of the ways we are striving to reduce violence against women:

Supporting women who have been raped
Helping women get justice
Eradicating female genital mutilation
Shaping attitudes in school

Supporting women who have been raped

WOMANKIND Worldwide funds access to legal advice so women can bring their attackers to court, and trains the police and the courts in providing better support to women who have been raped.

South Africa is one of the most violent peacetime countries on earth and public attitudes to girls and women who have been raped are very harsh. We are funding counselling for rape victims, who are often thrown out by their families.

Look at South Africa in detail

Helping women get justice

Around the world, half of murdered women (the women who die from homicides) are killed by their current or former husbands or partners. (source Krug et al. 2002. World Report on Violence and Health. Geneva: WHO. 93.) Some are killed by their families in the name of ‘honour’. Yet in many countries this is not taken seriously by the judicial system. All too often, men can cite various versions of ‘she made me’ or ‘crime of passion’ and walk away, or only receive a nominal punishment.

In Central and South America, where in many countries there exists a social tolerance to killing a woman, we are supporting local groups campaigning for the killing of women by men to be a specific crime with substantial sentences.

Eradicating female genital mutilation

Each year some 2 million girls around the world are held down with their family’s consent, and forced to undergo genital cutting in the name of tradition. WOMANKIND Worldwide supports girls and women who want to make a stand and encourage girls to see they have a choice.

In Ethiopia, we have been instrumental in persuading communities in two regions to abandon the practice altogether.

Shaping attitudes in schools

Violence against women is not just a problem in developing countries. It is common in rich countries too, and is found in all classes and cultures. WOMANKIND Worldwide is working in UK schools, as part of the National Curriculum, to encourage teenagers to identify and change behaviour and attitudes that can lead to violence against girls and women.