The Ark Foundation Ghana, an advocacy-based human rights nongovernmental organization, called on churches to adopt a proactive approach in dealing with victims of abuse.
Mrs Jane Christie Donkor, a volunteer with the Ark Foundation, said bringing healing and restoration to victims of abuse, especially women and children, should be the ultimate goal of the church.
Speaking at a seminar to create awareness on domestic violence in the church, she said the church must be recognized as a safe place for abused women and children.
She said the Ark was founded on Biblical principles of love, mercy and justice and recognized the ideals enshrined in the universal declaration of human rights and other major conventions on equality, dignity and social justice for all.
Mrs Donkor, a retired Commissioner of Police, said a training programme would be held for selected leaders of the various churches in November to respond appropriately to domestic violence in the church.
She urged the churches to take action on the recommendations from participants to ensure that women and children who needed help were given all the assistance they needed.
Mr Samuel Kyei Berko, Programme Assistant of the Legal Centre of the Foundation, said violence generally referred to a behaviour resulting in harm or causing damage to another person making the person to live in fear.
He said abuse could be physical, emotional, economic, spiritual, social and sexual and the effect could be low self-esteem, lack of trust in others and deformity in extreme cases.
Mr Berko said about 27 per cent of women in Ghana had been sexually assaulted in their life time adding that all these abuses were punishable by law including jail terms.