Incidence of sexual, gender based violence frightening – Nana Oye
A Sexual and Gender Based Violence Durbar has been held for people in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region with a call on all stakeholders to team up to fight the menace.
The durbar, organised by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection with support from DANIDA, provided platform for community members to deliberate on how to end Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
Addressing the durbar on behalf of the sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur, the Programme Manager of the Ministry in charge of Ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence, Mrs Petra deGraft-Johnson, said statistics of reported cases on the issue at the DOVVSU was very frightening.
Quoting the 2014 statistics from DOVVSU, the Minister stated that out of 17,778 cases reported of various forms of violence nationwide, 4,415 were assault on women, 335 were rape cases, while defilement of girls accounted for 1,296.
Substantiating the alarming rate of the menace further, the sector Minister indicated that statistics from the Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre also revealed that one out of every three women has been physically assaulted by a partner, 27 per cent of women have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime, while one in three women has been fondled or touched against her will.
She explained the Ministry was organizing series of durbars in selected communities, which have high incidence of the problem, throughout the country.
Nana Oye Lithur, who attributed the problem largely to tradition and cultural beliefs, appealed to traditional/religious leaders, Assembly and Unit Committee members and opinion leaders among others who attended the durbar to constitute a formidable group to help address the issue.
“As major stakeholders in your communities, you have critical roles to play in addressing the problem and I entreat all of you to work effectively together to end the phenomenon,” she stressed.
Mr Amos Ayuure, the District Director, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said Sexual and Gender Based Violence was widespread in the District but were not reported, except the worse forms of such acts where the victims get wounded.
He attributed the refusal to report such cases to family and social ties with perpetrators and called on victims to report such violent acts to institutions such as the CHRAJ, DOVVSU and Department of Social Welfare for redress.
The Paramount Chief of Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Aleemyarum, on behalf of the traditional council, pledged the council’s readiness to institute measures such as educating community members to end the practice.
Naba Aleemyarum cautioned the gathering that women had rights and deserved to be respected, adding, “it is criminal to subject women to maltreatment.”
Source: GNA