Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Woman beats up Husband …at arbitration

Woman beats up Husband …at arbitration

The Ghanaian Times, Tuesday, March 18, 2008. Page 17 (Front Page)

Anita Nyarkoh


Official of the Domestic Violence Support Unit (DOVVSU) trying to settle a dispute between a husband and wife could not believe their ears when the man told them that he left home because his wife had been assaulting him. But as proceedings were going on to reconcile the, the wife, Yaa Serwaa, 38, slapped her husband (name withheld) twice compelling the DOVVSU officials to immediately arrest her while her husband was given a medical form to enable him attend hospital.


Disclosing this to the Times yesterday, Inspector Irene Oppong of the Unit said last Tuesday, Serwaa reported to DOVVSU that her husband had abandoned the family. Upon this, the husband was invited to report to respond to the accusation.


On Thursday, March 13, when the husband reported at the Unit, DOVVSU officials sat the couple down to arbitrate the matter.


After Serwaa had narrated her grievances, and her husband responded that her left home because he could not withstand the wife’s beatings, Serwaa allegedly slapped him twice on the cheek. As if it was not enough, she shouted in Akan; Yereko fie a, mebo wo asen sei which literally translates, “I will beat you more when we are going home.”


Narrating his ordeal to DOVVSU, the man said during the first fives years, his wife hit him anytime there was a misunderstanding over housekeeping. He said when her was involved in a car accident and had to use crutches, his wife would take his crutch form him and hit him with it when there was a misunderstanding.


He said fed up with the situation, he left the marriage home eight months ago to rent a house at Dansoman where his 20 year old daughter has been visiting him to collect money for the family upkeep. Asked why he had all the while not reported the matter to the police, he said it was because he thought his wife would change.


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