By Christabel Addo, GNA
Accra, Nov 30, GNA - Representatives of Ghana's traditional rulers from all the 16 districts of the country, have pledged their unflinching support towards efforts aimed at zeroing all forms of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and harmful practices.
The authorities, who had converged in Accra for a two- day knowledge sharing symposium on "Zero Gender-Based Violence and Harmful Practices," expressed their rage after seeing the prevailing statistics showing the high prevalence on SGBV across the country.
They unanimously 'crossed their hearts,' to join forces, and mobilise some domestic resources in addition to new strategies to address the deeply rooted practices at the community levels.
The programme was organised by the Obaapa Development Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), as part of the post Nairobi Summit of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25), which seeks to accelerate interventions to achieve zero SGBV, particularly against women and girls.
The Chiefs and Queen Mothers, at the close of the programme, reversed their initial positions from that of hopelessness in the fight against SGBV, to that of sustained commitment to the possibility that the crime can be stopped within the shortest possible period.
Mrs Evelyn Borbor, the National Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims' Support Unit (DOVVSU) said between 2015 to 2018, DOVVSU recorded a total of 13,886 cases of non-maintenance, 17,269 assault, 3,322 defilement, and 5,665 threats of death, among others.
The statistics, she said was enough to sound the wake-up bells for strengthened partnerships to combat these national and global insecurities against especially women and children who formed the majority of society's vulnerable group.
Mrs Borbor said although DOVVSU has been working hard at securing legal justice for victims of abuses, it faces several challenges such as the sudden lack of interest by victims to pursue the prosecution of cases, getting enough evidence from crime scenes or the abused, and issues of affordability of medical care by victims of sexual abuse.
"We are currently working hard to secure a legislation which will ensure that perpetrators of rape, defilement and child marriages can still be prosecuted even if victims decide to discontinue the legal process of prosecuting them," she said.
Dr Miriam R. Iddrisu said gender has nothing to do with one's sexuality, but rather it is the role society assigns to male and females, and argued that it is time that the Ghanaian society focuses on getting its values and cultural concepts on sex right.
She challenged all parents to grab the bull by its horns, by coming out from hidings behind the concept of taboos, to opening up conversations on sexual education with their children, to protect them from wrong information and peer pressure.
Dr Iddrisu said although traditional leaders have key roles to play in protecting the traditions and cultures of their communities, these norms must be progressive and retrogressive or injurious to their beneficiaries.
The traditional rulers however admitted that Chieftaincy was not in loggerheads with modernity, since most of the issues being discussed were on morality.
The Tim-Tooni Naa Hajia Sawuratu of the Dagbon Traditional Area, Yendi, said she has been leading an advocacy in the three norther regions with her NGO, the Pagba Saha Foundation, on seeking for gender equality and educating communities against SGBV, good nutrition for pregnant mothers and children and harmful cultural practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriages among others.
She however appealed to the government to consider the incorporation of medical cost for accessing healthcare for victims of rape, defilement and other DV cases into the National Health Insurance Scheme, to ease the financial stress on victims and ensure justice for abused persons. Nana Adu Akoratia IV, the Chief of Assin Praso and Benkumhene of Assin Jakai, (Nifa Division of Atendusu Traditional Council), Nyankomasi Ahenkro, Central Region, thanked the organizers of the programme, saying it has provided great perspective to what they have already been doing as leaders in their respective communities.
He said indoor violence, especially against women and children by men, has been a great source of worry to traditional authorities as many of these abuses often go unreported.
He indicated that with the added knowledge they have acquired from the various brainstorming and mentoring sessions, they were better equipped with the clear legal and boundary approaches to seeking justice for victims and ensuring that the law took its firm course on perpetrators of SGBV.
He further pledged to intensify public education using community durbar and other outreach platforms to sensitize his community .
GNA
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