Africa-Press – Ghana. The Indigenous Women Empowerment Network Ghana, (IWEN Ghana) has trained 25 young men in the Ada West District to serve as anti-gender-based violence advocates in the District of the Greater Accra Region.
The Gender-based anti-violence champions would engage and sensitize their peers and further raise awareness of the consequences of sexual violence, particularly against girls to help bring the situation under control in the area.
According to Mrs Celestina Andoh the Executive Secretary of IWEN Ghana, a women-centered non-governmental organisation working to enhance the welfare of vulnerable women and girls, the training was an innovative strategy to help reduce gender-based violence in the district.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on the side-lines of the training workshop, held at Sege in the District, Mrs Andoh said the training was in line with a project her NGO was implementing with funding from Plan International and Global Affairs Canada.
She said for the nation to achieve set targets for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, there was the need to build a gender equitable society with a healthier gender role for both women and men.
Mrs Andoh therefore underlined the need to empower young men to put them in a better position to influence their peers and bring about positive behavioural change in society.
“It is common among many communities for women and children to be subjected to gender-based violence and other forms of violence sexual harassment and harmful traditional practices”, she said. Mrs Andoh noted ending gender-based violence remained a shared responsibility and called on everybody to contribute in that regard.
“It is also imperative to tackle not only individual instances of sexual violence, but also all systemic forms of violence. This is because violence does not occur in a vacuum”, Mrs. Andoh stated.
Mr Raphael Godlove Ahenu, a media expert and an advocate of anti-gender-based violence engaging men as advocates would help control gender-based violence in the country
“Gender transformative programmes are now involving men and boys in ending patriarchal norms, gender inequality and violence”, he said.
Miss Erica Senanu-Sallah, the Ada West District Girls Education Officer said in spite of the progress made so far in improving access to education for all, there were still challenges preventing many children, especially the girl-child from accessing formal education in the district.
She said adolescent girls were confronted with a myriad of challenges, including poverty, gender inequality as well as water and sanitary facilities which often denied them chances to complete secondary education.
For More News And Analysis About Ghana Follow Africa-Press
