Student calls for enforcement of sexual abuse laws

A Senior High School student has called on government and other relevant stakeholders to enforce the laws on Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in the country.

Ms Seidu Amatu, a student from the Anbariya SHS in Tamale, who made the call, noted that mostly, the perpetrators of girl-child sexual abuses were often not punished due to traditional leaders and politicians’ intervention to free them.

Ms Amatu was speaking in Tamale during a refresher training of Girls Leaders in Institutions on SGBV.

The programme was part of the KASA! Ending Sexual Violence Project, and it was organised by Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-GH) in partnership with Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Health Service.

It was to build the capacity of girls to fight against sexual violence in both institutions and communities.

Ms Amatu called on stakeholders to play critical role in responding to and creating access to justice for women and girls, who suffered sexual and gender-based violence in the country.

She said there was need for systematic approach to address the rising cases of victims of SGBV in the country.

Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, Executive Director of SWIDA-GH advised girls to use social media to create more awareness on ending SGBV in their communities.

She said the use of social media to spread awareness about sexual harassment was one of the important tools to help people become more knowledgeable about the topic.

Madam Khadijah Abdul-Samed, Project Leader of KASA! Ending Sexual Violence stated that the two-year project implemented by SWIDA –GH, and funded by African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) was being implemented in 10 educational institutions within Sagnarigu and Tamale Metropolis.

It seeks to produce 200 female advocates in SGBV.

Source: GNA