The Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Emile Francis Short, has noted that the present economic situation in the country is, fertile ground for perpetrating domestic violence. "The current economic situation exerts pressures that can culminate in an explosive situation in the average home and lead to gender-based violence, with the least provocation serving as the last straw," he said. Mr Short said this at a ceremony organised by the Ghana Human Rights NGOs Forum in Accra to celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which forms part of activities marking 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The 16 Days of Activism is celebrated internationally from November 25 to December 10 every year as part of efforts to end GBV across the world. According to the CHRAJ Commissioner, there was the, need to educate the general public right down to the grass roots in order to inculcate attitudes acknowledging the dignity and worth of women. He also called for the strengthening of institutional mechanisms so that women and girls could report acts of violence against them in a safe and confidential environment, free from the fear of penalties or retaliation, and file charges. Mr Short also said there was the need to disseminate information on the assistance available to women and families which were victims of violence, as well as develop programmes and procedures to educate and raise awareness of acts of violence against women that constituted a crime and a violation of the human right of Women. According to him, as a way of helping curb domestic violence, CHRAJ had established a specialised Women and Children's Unit at its headquarters where it received and processed a myriad of cases that impinged directly on the rights of women and children. He said in 2007, the commission received 1,923 cases, as against 1,684 in 2008 with complaints in respect of wife battering at 66 in 2007 and 145 in 2008, adding that the situation was a clear indication that issues of violence against women were on the increase in the country. The Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, in her keynote address, said the campaign to end GBV was a collective responsibility that required concerted efforts from all. She said the ministry was ready to collaborate with all NGOs, parliamentarian and institutions to help curb GBV in the country. A representative from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit of the Ghana Police service, Superintendent Irene Oppong, in an address said the unit handled 4,616 cases of domestic violence across the country. Speaking on the criminal implications of domestic violence, she called on victims to ensure that they reported such cases early so that evidence could be recorded for prosecution. In a speech on her behalf, the Minister Trade and Industry, Ms Hanna Tetteh said her outfit would come up with its industrial policy and sector support programme in which the economic empowerment of women would be addressed. The President of the Ghana Human Rights NGOs Forum, Mr Peter Osei Badu in an address said it recognised the global economic crisis and its adverse effects on developing countries but added that it would be a human rights abuse when budgetary allocations for human rights institutions such as CHRAJ were cut down, saying that would affect their activities in the fight against domestic violence. Source: Daily Graphic