DOVVSU scales up gender-based violence prevention, response

The Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service is to establish a data centre as part of its efforts to increase sexual and gender-based violence reporting and accurate case documentation.

The initiative is aimed at using data to change policies, prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence.

The centre, which will also have an online portal, is expected to reduce paperwork and bureaucracy in accessing data collected by the unit.

The Director-General of the Human Resource Department of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mrs Beatrice Z. Vib-Sanziri, made this known at the opening of a two-day workshop in Accra.

The workshop, organised by DOVVSU, was for its personnel from across the country and some stakeholders to brainstorm on new data collection on sexual and gender-based violence.

UNFPA support

With support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the validation workshop was to share information on how the existing data collection tool of DOVVSU could be improved for increased reporting and accurate case documentation.

Currently, DOVVSU uses an Excel Spread Sheet to collect case-by-case reports from the district to the regional level. The data is then collated and forwarded to the national level where the annual report on cases is generated.

The final report takes into consideration the offences, gender of victim and perpetrator, relationship between the two and actions taken on the cases.

 Domestic violence comes in the form of physical abuse, sexual abuse, economic abuse, emotional abuse or psychological abuse, harassment, behaviour or conduct that harms another person.

The Domestic Violence Act, Act 732, 2007, defines domestic violence as a threat or harm to a person under the Criminal Offences Act, specific acts, threats to commit or acts likely to result into harm.

In a welcome address, the Coordinator of DOVVSU, Chief Superintendent of Police Rev Mrs Laurencia Wilhelmina Akorli, reflected on the power of data to change policies, saying, “it is important to collect data with care”.

She explained that though DOVVSU had an existing tool for collecting data, it was being hampered by some challenges such as the generalisation of some of the offences which needed to be broken into specific offences.

From a sample of the current data collection tool, she cited causing harm as one of the generalised offences which put together all forms of damage caused to a person, whether through battery, pouring of acid or slashing.

Additionally, she said, it was important to review the data collection tool to enable DOVVSU to create an effective database for detection, prevention and prosecution of cases of domestic and gender-based violence, as well as child abuse.

Importance of data collection 

Mrs Vib-Sanziri, in her remarks, said the collection of data was very essential in the operations of DOVVSU.

She said DOVVSU, which had been in existence for two decades, was established as part of the efforts to address issues related to domestic violence, child abuse and gender-based violence.

“The creation of DOVVSU has brought help and relief to many victims of abuse, especially women and children who would otherwise continue to suffer at the hands of perpetrators of these crimes,” she said.

Data collected by DOVVSU, she said, served as a very useful tool in both policy formulation and resource allocation.

“Data effectively communicates to the policy maker key sectors of our lives that require urgent intervention programmes and initiatives,” she added.

However, she stated that the direction that data gave to policy could be either useful or disastrous, depending on the reliability and accuracy of the data that had been collected.