Government urged to operationalize domestic violence fund
Mrs Nicholina B. Asare, the Programmes Officer, Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Centre, at the weekend called for the operationalization of the domestic violence fund to provide support for victims.
She said the issue of domestic violence was still prevalent in the country and the fund when put into effect would help provide free medical care for victims.
Mrs Asare was speaking at a stakeholder’s workshop on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment, organized by the Women in Law and Development Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana, in Accra with support from Oxfam.
It was aimed at engaging the stakeholders on effective implementation of policies and laws promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in Ghana.
According to Mrs Asare, the Fund would ensure that there was enough money to aid domestic violence victims and would also serve as a sort of encouragement to victims to report any incidents of violence.
“The issues of domestic violence are becoming alarming and needed the urgent attention of government and stakeholders to deal with the problem,” she said.
Mrs Asare said it was also important for shelters homes to be provided in all the regions to protect and provide domestic violence victims the needed support for those who may have to relocate after such cases to avoid future recurrence.
She said women and children especially girls were being violated on daily basis, a situation she added, needed the urgent attention of government and the perpetrators brought to book.
Mr Frank Bodza, the Programme Manager In-Charge of Governance WiLDAF, said the workshop was one of the series they would be embarking on to ensure that they engaged key policy makers as far as women right issues were concerned.
He said government had made some policy promises to improve gender equality and empower women, the existence of these beautifully constructed laws and policies often painted a picture of good governance and democratic dispensation that have attracted international attention.
However, he said the picture had not been as beautiful as envisaged; the implementation of such policies has not been enthusiastic as for their ratification.
Mr Bodza therefore noted that the series of engagements with stakeholders would ensure that government was held accountable and made to deliver on their promise by passing bills they have ratified.
He said they would also ensure that government as well as other private institutions put in place measures to enhance women empowerment and gender equality.
Stakeholders at the workshop engaged with officials of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to know how they were implementing women right issues in their respective ministries.
Source: GNA