NGO to reduce sexual harassment

The management of Purim African Youth Development Platform (PAYDP), a civil society organisation, on Friday launched a programme to mitigate sexual harassment and the abuse of children in Ghana.

The programme aims at complementing initiatives by other civil society organizations to educate the youth on issues such as the reduction of the incidence of child mortality in the country.

It was on the theme: “Say no to Sexual Harassment.”

Mr. Albert Wuddah Martey, Programme Manager of PAYDP said the effects of sexual harassment on the youth, especially those in basic and second cycle institutions were relevant issues and called for urgent attention.

He said available statistics indicated that about 49 per cent of girls and 28 per cent of adult women had at least once been harassed against their will by men who most of the time; were close relatives and such incidents were rarely made public.

Mr. Martey noted that most of the youth who went through such ordeals from either their teachers or colleague students declined to report such cases, treating them as trivial issues which could be resolved at home, saying, “It is not the best for the children”.

He urged policy makers and gender activists to advocate the implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women to curtail such incidents.

Mr. Martey advised the media to edit some of the sexually explicit foreign programmes aired on their networks and use their medium to educate the people on the effects of sexual harassment.

He advised students to report all incidents of sexual abuse to the police for redress.

PAYDP is an organisation that seeks to empower the youth and women to live positive and healthy lifestyles.

Source: GNA