The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service has called on human rights activists and other stakeholders to fight abuses in churches.<\/p>\n
Many religious leaders are alleged to be using all forms of violent acts, including hitting and pushing congregants under the guise of healing them miraculously<\/p>\n
The move by DOVVSU was triggered by a recent video released where the beleaguered founder of the International God\u2019s Way Church, Daniel Obinim was seen stamping the stomach of what looked like a pregnant woman continuously, in a deliverance service.<\/p>\n
[contextly_sidebar id=”vdJXxro29dMpbcr77JNqnD1azp4fO4bj”]Speaking to Citi News<\/strong> at the end of the gender-based violence training workshop, an assistant Staff Officer at the DOVVSU headquarters, Lydia Osei Agyapong, said the act captured in the video and several others that occur in churches daily \u201cconstitute human right violations\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s becoming rampant, from morning till evening they are on the TV trying to cast demons here and there, pouring oil into their nose and mouths, hitting their chests and hitting their heads\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n Madam Osei Agyepong however, said the issue is a difficult one to deal with currently because of the people\u2019s willingness to subject themselves to this abuse, adding that, \u201cwhen you look at it, sometimes your heart is pumping but because they have gone there freely, on their own, you cannot do much.\u201d<\/p>\n According to her, both religious leaders and their congregants might not be aware that such healing practices constitute human rights violations.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably they don\u2019t know. The churches don\u2019t know or people who go there don\u2019t know so there is supposed to be a right approach\u201d.<\/p>\n She opined that the gravity of the practices warrants pragmatic efforts from all stakeholders \u201cso that all these religious abuses can be curtailed or stopped\u201d.<\/p>\n The workshop was organized by Women, Media and Change, WOMEC, a non-governmental organization.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a lead advocacy agency on maternal health, The MamaYe Campaign and the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights ARHR have condemned the action by Daniel Obinim and called on the Ghana Health Service and law enforcement agencies to protect unborn children and their mothers from practices which put their lives at risk.<\/p>\n In a statement, Vicky T. Okine, Executive Director of ARHR noted, \u201cit is sad that in this day and age where organizations are working assiduously to reduce maternal and newborn deaths, but some religious leaders are worsening the plight of women in Ghana through unorthodox healthcare promises and practices.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis action is a sad reflection of how gullible we are as a community and ,consequently, how susceptible we are to exploitation \u2013 both of which contribute negatively to maternal and newborn survival.<\/p>\n The statement called on the Christian Council and the Ghana Pentecostal Council to strengthen their monitoring processes to identify and rein in overzealous and exploitative leaders who prey on the lack of knowledge and vulnerability of the needy and lead them into situations that threaten their health and in this context, that of the unborn child.<\/p>\n The health system is already stretched and we must eschew practices that are inimical to safe pregnancies and deliveries.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n By: Eugenia Tenkrong\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service has called on human rights activists and other stakeholders to fight abuses in churches. Many religious leaders are alleged to be using all forms of violent acts, including hitting and pushing congregants under the guise of healing them miraculously The move by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":73336,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[38,17],"yoast_head":"\n