News
80-year-old victim advises: Don’t endure abusive relationships for the sake of children
An 80-year-old divorced woman has advised people in abusive relationship not to use their children as “an excuse to continue the relationship”.
“I often hear people say they have decided to endure because of their children but that is very wrong because if you die who would take care of the children you claim to be sacrificing for” she questioned.
Sharing her experience as a victim of an abusive marriage, she said interestingly she was married to a church leader who was a good man in the eyes of the public so no one believed or would have believed that she was going through a bad situation.
She said when it was time to leave she did not discuss it with anyone apart from her adult children and this she considers as one of the best decisions she made even after decades.
“People were disappointed in me but I always asked myself who was being abused? It was me so why did I have to continue the relationship to please anyone? Thankfully, I still had my room in my late father’s house so I moved in and that was the end of the story” she disclosed.
In an interview with The Spectator, the divorcee and retired dressmaker (pleading anonymity) said she felt obliged to advise victims of abusive relationships especially women because she found it heartbreaking to see innocent children being exposed to frequent abuse in the home which could affect them psychologically.
” These children will not appreciate your so called sacrifice in future. They may not tell you how they feel but I bet you they would wish you had left. Violence is not good for children. It might make them become abusers in future, feel traumatised or lose their confidence “she said.
The dressmaker said in her case, her ex husband was more verbally abusive and occasionally abused her physically but with time she felt she was not good enough as a woman because she had lost her confidence.
The Octogenarian said it was worth noting that some men moved on after the death of the women they abused without giving it a second thought, therefore, making the actions of the victims who endured the abuse unreasonable.
“You should remember that anytime he hits you, you are compromising your life and gradually you could die and leave your poor children alone in this world, ” she said.
She said it was always better for a woman to quit a marriage or relationship for the sake of mental health and future of the children because abusive people hardly changed.
She said she had heard people say they would have no place to go should they leave their partners and described such statement as lame excuse.
“You came from somewhere so there should be a place you could go back to. Even if your family and friends would not accept you, try moving into an uncompleted house or somewhere no one would be a threat to your life” she advised.
The Divorcee said there were instances some women left their marriage to hustle and came back for their children when conditions improved to cater for them as single parents.
“Other times you have to leave with your children. Trust God to take care of you. Under no circumstance should you stay and die a needless death in a relationship”, she cautioned.
She advised victims of abusive relationships “to always ensure they save some money to take care of themselves for days or weeks if they have to leave while they try to rebuild their lives”.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Tema.
The Ghana Water Justice Network (GWJN), a civil society organization, has called on the government to make water affordable and accessible to Ghanaians in the country.
The organization said making water affordable, particularly for low-income and vulnerable households, included an end to water disconnections due to inability to pay.
This was in a communiqué issued at the launch of the GWJN in Accra on the theme “Water for People, Not for Profit.”
The launch of the event was to mobilize citizens and advocate sustainable long-term solutions to Ghana’s escalating water crisis.
The statement said such disconnections violated the human right to water and disproportionately affected women and children.
“We advocate for inclusive, humane service delivery that prioritizes dignity and access to all citizens,” the statement said.
The statement urged the government to address significant investment shortfalls by fully honouring budget commitments, especially by extending services to underserved communities.
The statement urged authorities to actively include women as leaders and decision-makers in water management at all levels and address the disproportionate impacts of water scarcity on women and girls.
It also called for the establishment and enforcement of water protection zones and the integration of catchment protection plans into spatial planning schemes.
“To combat the menace of galamsey, we urge the government to seize assets and prosecute financiers and equipment owners, support community-based river guards, and deploy satellite and drone surveillance systems to combat illegal mining,” it said.
The communiqué also called on the authorities to introduce a national borehole drilling permit system, create a central groundwater database, and promote shared community borehole systems.
The statement said for countless communities across the country, access to affordable and reliable water remained out of reach.
In rural areas, peri-urban settlements, and low-income urban neighbourhoods, daily realities are marked by long queues, inconsistent supply, and rising costs.
It said at the heart of this crisis were women and children, who bear the heaviest burden when water systems fail.
This situation, the statement said, leaves far too many people behind and threatened to derail progress toward the Sustainable Development Goal six—universal and equitable access to safe and affordable water for all by 2030. -GNA
Police have retrieved all buried body parts of Joyce Akua Ampomaa, a 40-year-old trader allegedly murdered at Awutu Bentum in the Central Region.
The remains have been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary for preservation and autopsy, while investigations continue, Commissioner of Police Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), said at a press briefing in Accra.
She stated that the suspect, a 25-year-old fetish priest, was arrested by the Homicide Unit of the CID after the mutilated body of the deceased was discovered in a bush on the outskirts of Awutu Bentum on March 10, 2026.
Police said the Asafoatse of Awutu Bentum reported the discovery to the Jei Krodua Police Station after the body was found with the head and both legs severed.
Investigations revealed that she had previously sought herbal treatment from the suspect in 2025 and returned on March 4, 2026, for spiritual assistance.
The suspect allegedly lured her into a bush, attacked her with a cutlass, killed her, dismembered the body, and concealed the remains.
During interrogation, the suspect allegedly admitted to the offence and disclosed that he buried the head at Mafi Avedo in the Volta Region and the legs at his residence at Awutu Bentum.
He was arraigned before the Adabraka District Court on March 13, 2026, and remanded into custody.
The court granted an exhumation order, enabling Police to retrieve the buried body parts.
On March 17, 2026, the suspect led investigators to Mafi Avedo, where the deceased’s head was exhumed.
On March 18, 2026, he led Police to Awutu Bentum for a reconstruction of the incident and to locations where the legs and destroyed mobile phones were retrieved.
At the crime scene, located on a cassava farm, the suspect allegedly identified the spot of the attack, the deposition of the body, and a pit where bloodstained items were buried.
Pathologists later exhumed the legs at his residence opposite the Chief’s Palace.
Police noted that community members had demolished the suspect’s residence and shrine, affecting retrieval of the suspected murder weapon and other exhibits.
COP Donkor commended officers for their professionalism and expressed appreciation to international partners, including INTERPOL, the Australian Federal Police, and authorities in Togo, for their collaboration. –GNA
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