By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, Jan 31, GNA – Ms Anita Akua Akuffo, a celebrated creative and media personality, has denounced the systemic abuse against women in the creative industry and entreated victims to voice out.
She observed that harassment, abuse, and discrimination against women were a debilitating phenomenon in the creative space, but victims were not speaking up for fear of losing their image and opportunities.
Speaking at a gender, youth and creatives workshop in Cape Coast, Ms Akuffo intimated that gender-based violence was a major barrier impeding the progress of women in the industry and must be addressed with urgency to enable the women flourish.
The workshop was put together by the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Behind-the-Scenes Project Ghana (Btsproject Gh) for which she was outdoored as the National Creative Ambassador.
Held on the theme: “The creatives dialogue: Any place for gender-based violence in the creative sector?” the event was heavily attended by players and students of the industry.
The Behind the Scenes Project, is a Mastercard-funded project seeking to generate evidence and eliminate all ills against women in the creative space in Africa through comprehensive multidisciplinary research and policy formulation.
The project focuses on young people between the ages of 18 and 35 and is happening concurrently in Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Kenya.
As the Ambassador, Ms Akuffo has the responsibility of projecting the research that will be conducted, organising gender workshops for the industry and addressing gender issues affecting young ladies in the space.
“We want to hear from them. We want to know what they are going through.
“If you don’t talk about it, we will not know exactly what is happening and so we are encouraging young women who are going through any form of abuse in any shape to speak up and let us know what is happening.,” Ms Akuffo appealed.
She expressed excitement and appreciation for her new role and called on all stakeholders to support the project to make it a success.
Professor Georgina Yaa Oduro, Country Lead for the Project, observed that there was lack of adequate facts and data on abuses and inequalities in the creative space because victims were not sharing their stories.
To that extent, she said proper actions could not be taken to bring sanity to the industry to engender the necessary development.
Prof Yaa Oduro, also the Head of Department for the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, assured that they would employ multiple innovative data collection methods to get different voices from various aspects of the creatives.
“We expect to gather adequate data from the participating countries to take action, and our expectation is that the story of the creatives will be different,” she said, calling on all stakeholders to get involved to change the narrative.
Mr Ebenezer Kofi Nti, the Central Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC), reiterated that there was no space for gender-based violence in the creative sector, stressing that the culture of silence must change.
“Many victims suffer in silence, fearing damages to their reputation but if you keep quiet, how can policymakers support? Let us voice out so that policies can be formulated to guard and protect us,” he said.
Mr Nti called on stakeholders to establish support systems and enact protective policies to safeguard the interests of women in the creative space.
“Creative institutions and leaders have a responsibility to establish ethical practices and ensure safe working environments for all creatives by implementing comprehensive policies against gender-based violence and providing clear reporting mechanisms to support victims,” he stated.
“Let us commit to creating a creative industry that reflects the best of our values—one that is inclusive, respectful, and safe for everyone,” he added.
GNA