A gender advocacy group is calling for legal action after a restaurant's 'bouncer' physically assaulted a customer, Portia Asantewa Duah.

The incident happened last Friday, at Kona Bar and Grill in Osu, Accra after Portia Asantewa Duah and her friends refused to leave the eatery at the instructions of the bouncer called BB.

According to reports, BB said Portia and her friends were simply occupying space and wanted her to leave to make way for actual customers.

But Asantewa Duah insisted the table had just been cleared by the waitress after she bought drinks. She refused to budge and requested for a receipt as proof of her patronage.

BB allegedly slapped twice in her face. The manager of the restaurant reportedly asked that the aggrieved victim lets the matter go.

Portia with red and swollen eyes had to seek medical treatment and produce a medical report from the police.

The incident has infuriated the Alliance for Women in the Media Africa (AWMA) which is pushing for the trial of the bouncer for criminal assault.

The group is also demanding an apology from the restaurant and sanctions against the manager for the "unacceptable response".

 

Read full press statement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ALLIANCE FOR WOMEN IN THE MEDIA AFRICA (AWMA)

STATEMENT ON THE ASSAULT OF MS PORTIA DUAH AT KONA BAR & GRILL                                            

Accra, August 21, 2017 – The Alliance for Women in the Media issues this statement to condemn the violence suffered by PORTIA ASANTEWA DUAH on Friday 18^th August at Kona Bar and Grill, Osu, Accra.Ms Portia AsantewaDuah was allegedly slapped twice in her face by a bouncer named BB at the above establishment.

The incident was reported to the establishment’s Manager. The Manager’s response was that she, and the group who accompanied her, should simply let the incident go.

According to Ms Portia Asantewa Duah, below is a record of what happened on Friday 18^th August.

THE INCIDENT

Ms Portia AsantewaDuah was with a group of friends at this restaurant and was asked to leave by a bouncer, named BB, who alleged they had not bought drinks and were simply occupying space. One of Miss Duah’s friends explained this was not the case. They had bought drinks; the waitress had simply cleared their table. This bouncer did not accept this explanation.

Ms Portia approached a waitress and asked for a receipt as evidence of drinks purchased. Ms Portia began to speak with her friends explaining the incident was embarrassing.

The bouncer told Ms Portia to keep quiet; he was not speaking with her. He then slapped her across her face, twice.  Ms Portia sustained swollen and red eyes from the slap. Her shocked friends approached the manager to relay what had happened. The Manager’s response was that they should let the incident go.

 

AFTERMATH

On Saturday 19^th August, Madame Portia spent an entire day – from 9am to 11pm - dealing with this traumatic incident. She went to two different hospitals as the first did not have an eye clinic, then to the police station and then had to deal with the police’s bureaucracy. She has since spent GHC300 on seeking medical attention and getting a medical report for the police.

ACTION

The Alliance for Women in the Media:-

1. supports the victim
2. condemns the alleged violence of the bouncer named BB.
3. requires this be treated as a matter of criminal assault.
4. requires bouncer face trial and sanction
5. requires The Manager must be sanctioned for their unacceptable response
6. requires Kona to issue a public apology
7. requires Kona to issue policy for dealing with violence in their workplace

SIGNED

Shamima Muslim Alhassan

Convener, AWMA

For Interviews and Comment:-

ANITA ERSKINE: 233 50 453 1222

NANA AKOSUA HANSON:nnkshanson@gmail.com

MAWUENA TREBARH: 233 24 430 3990

* Alliance for Women in the Media (AWMA) is a Women in Media and Communications advocacy and empowerment group made up of over 150 professionals from across the media industry in Ghana.