Support for pregnant women, victims of intimate partner violence in Tamale, Ghana

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a crucial human right and it’s prevalent throughout the world, albeit there is differences in regional severity and prevalence. This study aimed to evaluate both the human rights violations of pregnant women experiencing intimate partner violence and their ability to access remedies, including protection, and psycho-social services in the Tamale metropolis. Key informant interviews were held with 8 maternal healthcare providers and officials of the DOVVSU in the metropolis. The interviews, which were conducted online, focused on how these maternal healthcare providers manage pregnant women who are IPV victims and the challenges they encounter. This study adopts a qualitative research design with a human rights-based framework to explore the complex legal, social, and institutional aspects of protecting pregnant women experiencing IPV. Purposive sampling was used to identify maternal healthcare providers that they had worked with pregnant women experiencing IPV. This study primarily focused on two groups of key informants: The participants comprised maternal healthcare providers and officials of the DOVVSU. Structured and semi-structured interviews were done among the maternal health care providers and DOVVSU, in which both of them were interviewed on the telephone. Analysis of data for this study was done thematically. The present study found that maternal healthcare providers who are in direct contact with pregnant women who are victims of IPV, demonstrated strong familiarity with national legal frameworks such as the Domestic Violence Act and protection orders, but showed less awareness in terms of international frameworks. By contrast, maternal healthcare providers demonstrated less familiarity with international frameworks. The roles of maternal healthcare providers include clinical care, emotional support, coordinated referrals, and legal advocacy. Lack of transportation, financial constraints, and overload of shelters were some of the barriers mentioned to obstruct women from seeking shelters in this study. DOVVSU aids pregnant women who are victims of IPV, a lot of roles were mentioned which include providing legal protection, helping victim’s access psychosocial help, and encouraging access to essential services.