The Director of the Legal Assistance Network-Ghana is asking women and men to seek help for themselves and their partners when they notice signs of abuse in their relationships.

Speaking on The Law on JoyNews, Irene Aborchie-Nyahe said that, unlike popular opinions, abuse does not always start as violent.

She explained that some people exhibit controlling and dominating behaviours, all signs of abuse, in the early stages of their relationship but confuse it for love.

“No, those are signs of potential abusers. They start gradually, and when they get tired of the verbal abuse, they start going physical.”

“So when you are dating someone, and you can see that they have a pattern of behaviour that looks like they are controlling, dominating, doesn’t want you to have your individuality and also achieve your aims in life, that is a red flag you should be worried about,” she told Samson Lardy Anyenini, host of the show.

Mrs Aborchie-Nyahe said that abuse comes in different forms - physical, verbal, psychological, sexual and emotional. She said that the other forms of abuse are as dangerous as being in an abusive home.

“You can cook for your husband; he will refuse to eat; it is a form of psychological abuse. When he touches the food, he will quickly have to react and make you feel like you don’t know how to cook.”

“He will refuse to pick your call or ignore you in the home. The person hasn’t physically touched you, but he is behaving in a way that is sometimes even worse than physical abuse, he is making your life so miserable, and you are traumatised by the process. That is also another form of phycological abuse.” 

She added that any behaviour that attempts to take away people’s self-worth or dehumanise them is abuse.

Thus, she urged people to be vigilant and seek help when they notice these behaviours in their relationships to avoid abuse.