Violence Behind the Doors: Representation of Gender-Based Violence in Women's Writings (a special reading to Jaishree Misra's afterwards and Ama ata aidoo's No Sweetness here)

The research paper aims to initiate a scholarly discourse on sexual abuse and other forms of gender-based violence in Indian and Ghanaian societies. "Gender violence," a pressing social concern demanding immediate attention, encompasses a broad spectrum of offences against individual sexuality, including domestic abuse, marital rape, human trafficking, and honour killings. These violations remain prevalent in contemporary Indian and Ghanaian communities, inflicting both physical and psychological harm.

This research integrates literary analysis of Jaishree Mishra's Afterwards and Ama Ata Aidoo's No Sweetness Here, which investigates how Indian and Ghanaian women authors have employed their scholarly works to confront the voices of silent and marginalised victims. The paper analyses Jaishree Misra’s novel Afterwards, which portrays the life of Maya, a victim of sexual violence and oppressive marriage. It also presents an analysis of No Sweetness Here by Ama Ata Aidoo, identifying forms of gender violence faced by the protagonist, Maami Ama, who became a victim of multiple forms of gender-based violence, including emotional and social abuse, as well as discrimination within her marital household.

Keywords: gender violence, human trafficking, honour killing, socio-cultural problems.