Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Women in the Tamale Metropolis: The Role of Religion

Sanatu Fusheini  ORCID iD, Victor Selorme Gedzi ORCID iD  & Ernest Owusu ORCID iD 

Issue: Vol.5  No.13 Issue Article 4 pp.  2067-2076
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245134 | Published online 1st October, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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This study examined the complex role religion plays in both promoting and ending sexual and gender-based violence against women in the Tamale Metropolis of Ghana. While major religious traditions emphasize equality and non-violence, certain interpretations of religious texts and cultural traditions have enabled patriarchal norms that subjugate women. Qualitative data from interviews with 18 respondents across Christian, Muslim, and traditional African religious communities revealed ongoing oppressive practices like forced marriage and early marriage of young girls, divorce, physical abuse such as wife battering, sexual abuse, and victim-blaming. However, religious institutions are increasingly initiating efforts to combat this violence through advocacy, education, counselling services, and partnerships with civil society groups. While these initiatives exist, significant challenges remain in transforming deeply entrenched sociocultural norms that enable violence against women. These initiatives demonstrate how religious institutions can leverage their moral authority to transform sociocultural norms enabling violence against women. The study highlights the need for sustained engagement with religious communities, reinterpretation of doctrine promoting gender equality, and collaborative efforts across sectors to eliminate this pervasive human rights issue. Harnessing the influential role of religion through a progressive, rights-based approach is crucial for addressing sexual and gender-based violence in the Tamale Metropolis and similar contexts. By delving into this intricate dynamic within the context of the Tamale Metropolis in Ghana, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how religious beliefs, interpretations, and institutions can either perpetuate or combat this form of violence.

Keywords: Sexual Violence, Gender,  Religion, Tamale Metropolis, Ghana

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Sanatu Fusheini is currently a doctoral candidate at the Department of Religious Studies, KNUST, Kumasi,Ghana.  She holds a Diploma in Education (University of Education Winneba); an MPhil in Religious Studies (KNUST), and a B.A. Religious Studies (KNUST). She is a multi-disciplinary trained researcher whose works cut across other disciplines. Her research interests include religion and Gender, Islam and Gender, and Islamic studies. Her current PhD. study seeks to examine Muslim women and aspirations for higher education in Dagbon: Gender Politics and Socioeconomic Influences.

Prof. dr. Victor Selorme Gedzi is a Professor (Associate) of Religion and Development in the Department of Religious Studies, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, the Hague, of Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Internationally, Prof. Gedzi is a Nuffic Fellow; member of African Association for the Study of Religions; a Cambridge Publishing Editorial Advisory Board Member; a member of the European Centre for Research Training and Development, UK, among others. His publications include: 1) Emotions, Transcendence, Differentiated Voices and Resistances at Cape Coast Castle in Ghana: Poetic Analysis; 2) Environmental Reviews and Case Studies: Religious Resources and Environmental Management in Ghana; 3) Pentecostalism, the Media, and the State: Politicization of Indigenous Customary Systems in Ghana; 4) Death Rituals as a Livelihood Strategy among the Asante in Ghana; 5) Christian Faith and Economic Development: A Case Study of some Christian Workers in Ghana’s Public Sector in Kumasi. 6) The Role of Religion in Solid Waste Management in Congested Inner-cities: A Case Study of Aboabo.

Ernest Owusu is currently a doctoral candidate at the Department of Religious Studies, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana.  He holds an MA in Ministry (Ghana Baptist University College); MPhil in Religious Studies (Central University) and BA. Geography and Rural Development (KNUST). He is a multi-disciplinary trained researcher whose work cuts across other disciplines. His research focuses on Philosophy of Religion, African Traditional Religion, Ethics, Eco-theology and Religion and Ecology. His current PhD work seeks to examine the role of religion in climate change and poverty discourse.

Fusheini, Sanatu, Victor Selorme Gedzi & Ernest Owusu, “Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Women in the Tamale Metropolis: The Role of Religion,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.13 (2024): 2067-2076. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20245134

© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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