Albert Awedoba and Deborah Atobrah Inst of African Studies, Univ. of Ghana

1. Aspects of Sexual Violence Among the Ga of Accra: Ethnographic Study of Concupiscence in Transition Albert Awedoba and Deborah Atobrah Inst of African Studies, Univ. of Ghana

2. INTRODUCTION • This paper is based on ethnographic study of urban, peri-urban and rural communities in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. • It is qualitative: centred on one-on-one interviews with youth, the middle aged and older persons through the medium of the Ga language. The Ga, a coastal people, are indigenes of Accra; culturally they have been influenced by Akan, the predominant ethno-linguistic group of Ghana. We take this opportunity to thank UNFPA and the UCAD II for their support of the study.

3. Sexual and Domestic Violence Sexual violence, has been an abiding concern in Ghana for some time now leading to the setting up of the Women and Juvenile Unit of the Ghana Police (WAJU) which became the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU). In 2007, after a period of debate and soul-searching the Parliament of Ghana finally passed the Domestic Violence law. In the run up to the passing of the law there was considerable debate about the need for such a law. The politicians seemed lukewarm but Gender activists lobbied for the law. In some sectors of the community there were concerns that the law could criminalisation of sexual conduct or misconduct between spouses.

4. Lack of Success in Containing Sexual and Domestic Violence In spite of Government efforts and the work of NGOs, particularly those that espouse gender and women’s welfare issues Ghanaian Newspapers and media continue to report copious episodes of sexual violence. It may be that either due to advocacy the media have become more interested in reporting the subject, or else the interventions have not succeeded or the situation has rather worsened.

5. Screaming Newspaper Headlines on Sexual Violence in Ghana 1. Father impregnates daughter: 3 Feb. 2010. http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201002/41504.asp 2. Farmer jailed 10 years for defiling class three pupil. 8 Feb. 2010, GNA 3. 50-year-old man impregnates 14-year-old foster child. 16 Feb. 2010. http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201002/42162.asp 4. Farmer defiles three-and-a-half year old baby:12 Mar. 2010. http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201003/43363.asp 5. 71 year-old farmer remanded for defiling 13-year-oldgirl. 17 Mar. 2010. http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201003/43517.asp 6. CEPS official defiles his two daughters and son, 25 Nov. 2010. http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201011/56509.asp 7. High prevalence of sexual abuse in Ghanaian schools – Report.15 Apr. 2010. http://news.myjoyonline.com/news/201004/44766.asp

6. Media Silence over Adult rape Victims • While the Ghanaian press and media report defilement of young children; there is conspicuous media silence over rape involving adult women. • This silence gives the erroneous impression that adults are not raped. • The few media reports of adults being raped are like a footnote to an armed robbery case, when bandits not only rob their victims but also beat and torment their victims in a show of sadism.

7. Explaining Non-reportage of Adult Rapes A Ga cultural expert when asked about rape remarked that ‘Rape did not exist among Gas, you only rape babies’. This statement may seem at first sight shocking but it comes close to the general Ghanaian attitude of denial where rape is concern. The general tendency is raise doubts when a woman reports having been raped. It is assumed that she is to blame for the episode, or that she just wants to get even with a man by accusing him of rape. On the issue of rape involving a spouse the wife better not even hint at it in public.

8. Ga in a Theocracic Settings Until arrival of European traders – the Dutch, Danes, English, etc., Ga, a coastal people, lived in small theocracies ruled by priestsanswerable to the Ga gods. Sexual lapses were severely punished and sexual gratification was possible only through marriage whose purpose was reproduction. • Girls married soon after menarche; • Menarche was also the occasion for a girl’s education on sex. She was and still is told by a parent that she should henceforth be careful with men, as she could be pregnant if touched by a man;

9. Secularisation of the Ga Accra became capital of Ghana in the 19th Century. External influences led to replace of the theocracy with a secular state headed by chiefs. This had implications for changes in Ga reproductive culture. These changes are reflected in the introduction of new terms, such as: Tutu ‘prostitute’ (from ‘two, two shillings’) or Ashawo (orig. Nigerian) Jole ‘fiancee’ (the English ‘Jolly’) Lobi ‘dating or courtship’ (from English ‘lobby’) The evidence is that sexual immorality is prevalent in Accra. Respondents blame exposure to pornography, poverty and unemployment, the exchange of sex for money and parental negligence.

10. Asymmetry in the language of sexuality • Ajuamang town breaker/ashifolor roamer • Menarche /wet dreams (efo ekpa ehe- he has poured it on himself) • Toto(immature): the premenopausal vagina • Soor(fertile): the vagina of a woman in her reproductive age, considered fertile. Implications for the fallen mean age of menarche. • Gbemi (fallen inside): post menopausal vagina, infertile • Hamor(giver): penis • Borlenamor(creating {a person}: sex • Wiermor (grinding): sex

11. Ga Kabonai Though it is denied that rape existed, there is a Ga term for it: ‘Kabonai’. It is a sub-term under ajuamang (breaking the community). These are also classified as musu (breach of taboo). From the emic perspective, we could distinguish several kinds of rape: A. Child defilement 1. Male adult defilement of girl child 2. Male adult defilement of boy child 3. Female adult defilement of male child B. Forcible intercourse with adult female

12. Ga Respondent Accounts of Kabonai -Rape Data on rape was obtained by asking respondents about their first sexual act. Discounting wet dreams, today’s youth experienced sex in their early teens; the middle aged and older respondents had it in their late teens, but older women said they experienced sex when they married. It was found that in several cases a girl’s first sexual act was by male coercion, though the term kabonai was never used. No male respondent admitted to forcing a woman to have sex with him, though one admitted that in the course of consensual sex the girl protested, but he continued with the act. No male admitted to having been raped by a woman

13. The Rapist In the Ga research the rapist was one of the following: • A boyfriend who is anxious to have intercourse, although the girl resists; • A male whose proposal has been rejected; • A distant relative; • Just an acquaintance, but not necessarily a boyfriend; • The case of the female who defiles a boy. This was not described as rape by the respondent.

14. Raped by a boyfriend ‘I asked him if I would not get pregnant, and he said no. I did not want to sleep [have sex voluntarily] with him but because a man is stronger than a woman, he started struggling with me, then he broke me (broke my virginity). I did not shout but was very hurt about the incident. However, because we had been together for a long time I dropped it. I became very scared of him and was afraid I would become pregnant’ Comments by a 21 year old unmarried girl

15. Loving the friend’s brother who raped you He then said I should follow him and that he had something to tell me. I asked him why, but he said one of his sisters had brought a video disc ..... We were watching the films when he put his head on me. ... I angrily asked him to get up and let’s sit and watch the film because if someone enters and sees us like that I would not like that. He started doing some things and he brought forward his mouth to kiss me, so he was struggling with me to sleep with me. In the end he had sex with me and I got up and went home. When I was going home I realised something was flowing like water on me and I saw it was ‘juice’ (semen) .. It was after that we started walking as boyfriend and girlfriend. Initially it was his sister who forced me to him ..., [Unmarried 22 year old on her first sex experience after JSS]

16. Visiting and being Raped by a Church Member I was about eighteen years when I experienced my first sexual intercourse. [It was] .. a church member who for some time did not attend church programmes, so I decide to pay him a visit to find out why he had not been regular at church. We held a lengthy conversation about church, and issues about the Bible; I did not realise that it was getting too late, moreover the power went off so he asked me to pass the night in his place because .. it was not safe to go home at that time. During sleep, I was awaken by a hand caressing me and removing my clothing and I realised it was my church member... I struggled with him and wanted to shout .... But he overpowered me and had sex with me. I felt very sad and immediately I hated him. ... reported the incidence to my pastor. He was reprimanded and asked to apologise to me. [28 year old married woman]

17. Apparently Nice Guy Tricks and Rapes In those days I did not even consent to it, it was by force. .. we used to converse but there was nothing going on between us. He had been coming around so he was there one day and we talked; later on he said I should see him off to his house, but I said it was not something I could do. He persisted and I decided to go and see him off. When we were nearing the house I decided to return but he forced me and .. carried me into his room and so I had to struggle with him, but he overpowered me and ... had sex with me. [The 24 year old became pregnant and had to abort]

18. Features of the Rape Cases • The stories reveal that girls were not raped by strangers; • Rape took place in the room of the rapist; • Victim made it clear she did not wish to have sex; • There was a struggle and the girl was over-powered; • Victims rarely screamed; perhaps they assumed it was hopeless to scream; • Culprits were not punished; • Pregnancies resulted and rapists either refused responsibility or asked that the foetus be aborted; • Some victims eventually became the rapist lover.

19. Boy Child Defilement by Adult Woman While it is generally assumed that females do not rape males, and that in the case of defilement a male is culprit; However, the study came across evidence to the contrary. This is the case of a female attempting sexual intercourse with a child. The episode can be labelled as ‘rape’ because the infant victim could not appreciate what was going on, and could not have consented to the affair.

20. Raping a Boy or Masturbating? The girl went out and then came back .. and started beating me and playing with my penis. Then she carried me into the room and asked me to lie on her; she was forcing me and I did not know what it was that she was about; she put me on her and was lifting me up and down. I told my mother about it, ... and she [my mother] decided that she would no longer leave us in the care of this girl. She must have been about 16-18 and I was about 12 years old. The second time was when a relative asked me to accompany her to their farm to fetch cassava ... we were uprooting the cassava when suddenly she embraced me and pulled me down, then began to undress me. She laid on me. At that point I was grown enough to know about sex and what she was attempting to do, though I did not show interest.

21. Conclusions Based on the Findings I • Community members seem to think that a woman who accompanies a man to his room implies sexual interests in him; 2. Rape victims are despised. They are perceived to guilty or else irresponsible – case of failure to listen to maternal warning at their menarche; 3. It is assumed culturally inappropriate for interested girls to say ‘yes’ to male advances; therefore no could imply yes.

22. Conclusions Based on the Findings II 4. Girls being raped by community members seem to give up, and do not put up enough fight. Some respondents have remarked on how they fought off the rapist. 5. Consequently, it becomes possible for a rapist to argue that victim’s ‘mild’ protests are normal, nothing to worry about; 6. Victims rarely report the crime and when they do the culprit is not punished severely; 7. Rapists are rewarded by victims who later fall for them.

23. What Should We Do: Recommendations There is need to define rape more clearly; The classification of rape victims be expanded to include boys defiled by female adults. Behaviour change is necessary: There is need to address the myths about sexual abuse. Girls can frustrate rapists; some women fight back. Girls should be educated to understand that. Rapists should be punished severely. Punishing a rapist is not to make him marry victim; contrary to parents’ beliefs.