By Freda Mwin, GNA
Wa, (UW/R), Nov. 05, GNA – Ms. Siw Dörte Diallo, the Head of the Support to Human Rights, Gender Equality and Civil Society in Ghana Project at GIZ, has called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to address the menace of gender-based violence (GBV) and promote gender equality.
She said empowering women and girls to report abuse, while ensuring access to psychological, social, legal and medical support, was essential to protecting their rights and promoting an inclusive society.
Ms. Diallo made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at a sensitisation workshop in Wa on gender and children’s rights in the digital space under the “Support to Human Rights, Gender Equality and Civil Society Project-S(HE)”.
The workshop was organised by the German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ) in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), aimed at promoting gender-transformative approaches, human rights and child protection in the digital space.
Representatives from civil society organisations, religious and traditional authorities, security services, and education, among others, attended the two-day workshop.
Ms. Diallo indicated that gender inequality and harmful social norms continued to limit women’s opportunities in society and called for collective efforts to create an enabling environment for women and girls to thrive.
She said all stakeholders, including religious and traditional leaders, teachers, and security agencies, had important roles to play in addressing gender-based violence and ensuring that survivors received the necessary support.
She urged the stakeholders to work together to strengthen referral systems and discourage the practice of resolving cases of abuse solely within families, stressing that survivors had the right to seek professional assistance.
She said similar engagements had been held in Kumasi, Ho and Takoradi as part of efforts to promote gender equality across the country.
On child protection in the digital space, Ms. Diallo said children faced risks including online abuse, sexual extortion and other forms of exploitation, which could have serious psychological consequences.
She said digital technology remained an important tool for learning and accessing information, but that children needed guidance from parents and guardians to use online platforms safely.
Ms. Diallo urged parents to maintain open communication with their children about internet use, the dangers of interacting with strangers online and how to seek help when they experienced abuse.
Ms. Mercy Larbi, Deputy Commissioner at CHRAJ, said gender-transformative approaches were essential to addressing inequalities in society and ensuring that women participated meaningfully in decision-making processes at all levels.
She said despite women constituting about 51 per cent of Ghana’s population, their representation in Parliament and other decision-making bodies remained inadequate.
Ms. Larbi, therefore, stressed the need to develop and implement policies, institutional reforms and structures that promoted equal opportunities for women and men.
She urged traditional authorities, district assemblies and other stakeholders to support efforts towards eliminating discriminatory cultural practices and ensuring that women’s voices were heard in community decision-making.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah