By Emmanuel Gamson
Princess Town (W/R), Dec. 11, GNA – A consortium of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has called on the government and other key stakeholders, to take a decisive action against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) within coastal communities.
It said exploitative practices remained a reality for several women fish traders and processors, who happened to be the economic backbone of their households, were coerced into transactional sex by men who controlled access to scarce marine resources.
The NGOs said this practice, normalised by poverty and power imbalances, was a form of gender-based violence that must no longer be ignored.
The organisations, Hen Mpoano, CEWEFIA, and The Ark Foundation, said this when they jointly organised a durbar to increase awareness creation on the need to strengthen mechanisms to end GBV, particularly within coastal areas.
The event, held at Princess Town community, in the Ahanta West Municipality, was part of activities to mark this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence.
It was on the theme: “Unite to End Digital Violence Against All Women and Girls,” and brought together community members, traditional leaders, and youth groups among others drawn from the communities designated as the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Greater Cape Three Points enclave.
The event was part of the organisations’ Gender-Responsive Conservation Project, being implemented with funding support through the IUCN RISE Challenge, and sought to integrate GBV prevention, mitigation, and survivor-centred response into the governance of the proposed MPAs.
Mr Nicholas Smith, the Head of Programmes at CEWEFIA, said the project sought to ensure that marine conservation did not come at the cost of women’s safety, dignity, or economic agency.
He noted that women and girls in coastal communities continued to suffer violence and other forms of abuse through both physical and digital means.
“We cannot protect our oceans while, ignoring the violence against women and girls that festers along their shores,” he said.
Mr Smith, called on stakeholders to embed GBV risk mitigation into all marine conservation and fisheries governance frameworks, adding that; “There should be no more silence on GBV issues.”
“As we commemorate the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, let us commit to building a future where no woman must trade her body for fish, and no girl must suffer in silence,” he said.
Mr Emmanuel Nyarko, an Officer at the Western Regional Department of Gender, urged the people to speak-up, report, and seek assistance in times of issues of GBV and other forms of abuses in their homes, workplaces, and communities.
Madam Susana Quaicoe, an Officer at the Ahanta West Municipal Department of Social Welfare, also encouraged society to break the silence on GBV issues, and create support systems to ensure justice for victims and survivors.
As part of the event, traditional leaders, queen mothers, community champions, and other key stakeholders in the proposed MPAs signed a declaration to end Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in their areas.
GNA
Edited by Justina Paaga/ Christabel Addo