Breaking the silence about domestic violence: Communication for development in northwestern Ghana

Abstract

Domestic violence is not only a reality in Northwestern Ghana, it is also a threat to development. As the people of Ghana and Northwestern Ghana, particularly, struggle to overcome poverty and economic deprivation, there should be no stone left unturned that stands in the way of development. As this paper will contend, domestic violence is a serious threat to development for a number of reasons and has to be eliminated in order to give all people, especially women, the opportunity to contribute their quota to development in Northwestern Ghana. One way to eliminate domestic violence is to break ties with the fear of some harmful traditions of Dagaaba society by speaking out and seeking the necessary help. This paper will use development communication theory to analyze the phenomenon of domestic violence in Ghana and expound on the thesis that communicating to break the silence about domestic violence is essential for development in Northwestern Ghana.

Keywords: Domestic violence, Development, Communication, Ghana, Dagaaba

Gender and Behaviour. Vol. 4 (2) 2006: pp. 782-796