I read with displeasure the headline banner of The Ghanaian Times today September 3, 2008 “More Women are beating Husbands”. This headline is considered to have the motive of wanting to drill holes in the efforts put in by human rights activists and advocates seeking to address issues of violence against women and children, and domestic violence (VAWC/DV). It intends to say that after all the efforts put in by advocates to see to the passage of the Domestic Violence (DV) Bill, women are after all not the victims. In other words DV Act is misplaced and should not focus on women. One will then ask that does this newspaper story wash away the fact that women are the victims of domestic violence and does it also disprove the fact that of every three women, one has ever been abused by an intimate partner? One wonders what the point of this publication is. Is it stating that when men beat women it is normal but when woman beat men it is news? I find that angle a very worrying sign and should be condemned vehemently. Violence is a crime no matter who the victim or perpetrator is therefore it should not be hyped when some indicators show that some victims are males. The story states that it is a commonly held thinking that wives are beaten by their husbands. It is a not a thinking but a fact that is supported by statistics. The story continues that because men look stronger that is why it is alright for women to be beaten. In other words it is news that women who are supposed to look smaller than men are beating their husbands. The report begins by stating that disagreements over domestic chores in homes tops reported cases at Domestic Violence Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) and just few lines down it states categorically that defilement is as high as 317, followed by threat, stealing, rape, abduction and exposing child to harm. This assertion “more men are being beaten by their wives over domestic chores” needs to be put under critical analysis. One will need to know what statistics affirms this claim and where in Ghana is this current development predominant and what does DOVVSU have to say about this other than churning out statistics in attempt support this assertion and to down play the effect of domestic violence in our society. What is the investigation of the Ghana Police Service saying about this and what are their findings? Some journalists have been particularly noted to sensationalize issues regarding women in the attempt to ridicule women and to once again tell them to stay in their “place”. The issue of sensationalism does not help the cause gender equality. The headline story stated that the male victims who report the abuse come with marks. One will wonder if this is bizarre or odd, considering the number of female victims whose stories are told every now and then in our in our media of being assaulted, burnt, maimed or killed by perpetrator; who statistics show are mainly men. The angle of reportage is of great concern and it is made to look as if women are turning husbands into servants and men do not have any business doing household chores. It is a known fact that majority of abuses suffered by victims who are mostly women go unreported because of pressures put on them by the family to keep the issue at home and not put the husband and family into disrepute. So if men are reporting now it should be of particular concern to DOVVSU to find out if perpetrators themselves are running to the unit to first report the case to paint themselves as victims or indeed their work has became so effective that the tables have turned with men now as victims. It is not extraordinary that women are beating their husbands; it has always been known that there are women who beat up their husbands. These women are as normal as the men who beat, burn, maim and kill their wives. But we know that the proportions are not equal. Men who are in abusive relationships more often than not have a way of seeking remedies, they are more economically independent and can move out of the home; they are not obliged to go with all their children and all their belongings, they can seek divorce or report as they are doing now. When a woman is in abusive relationship she does have the same options. She is usually dependent on the man and is at his mercy, she will be driven away from her parents home should she go there for solace. The perpetrator in some cases go to where victims are seeking refuge and drag them out and harm them at the full glare of all. Society generally does not intervene when a women is in an abusive relationship; but the same society would not tolerate or condone a woman beats her partner. The concern of organizations such as The Ark Foundation, WISE, FIDA and others who provide services to victims of gender based violence is that society should not forget the dynamism of power relations – especially at the family level with power being held mostly in the hands of men. It is only in understanding how power and control works in such statistics that the proper intervention can be applied to help victims of domestic violence. Do not confuse the public and create the justification for further violence of women in homes and society. Blessing Agboada, Advocacy Officer The Ark Foundation [Email: thearkgh@yahoo.co.uk]