‘Let’s act holistically against gender based violence’

Ms Esther Tawiah, Executive Director, Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED) has called for holistic action against gender based violence in the country.

“As the world marks the 24th anniversary of the declaration of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, initiated in 1991, Ghana must intensify efforts at eliminating canker to ensure that our communities are safer for women and children.

“We must reach out to men and boys encourage them to participate in the campaign of preventing gender based violence,” Ms Tawiah told the Ghana News Agency on the sideline of a stakeholders review workshop organised by Coalition of Domestic Elections Observers (CODEO) on the 2014/15 District Level Election at Akosombo.

She commended the Center for Women’s Global Leadership which has coordinated the campaign which has seen over 5,478 organizations, policymakers, governments, UN agencies and countless individuals from over 180 countries worldwide participating.

She said through the campaign, gender advocates have brought attention to issues of racism, sexism, cultures of violence, homophobia.

Under the global theme, “From Peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Make Education Safe for All,” the 16 Days Campaign is calling on all stakeholders to join in advancing the right to education and challenging violence, discrimination, and inequity in education at the intersection of gender, race or ethnicity, religion, real or perceived sexual orientation, socio-economic status, and other social identifiers.

Ms Tawiah appealed to the Ghana Media to join the campaign by thinking about what spaces and access to education look like in country.

They must also consider the ways in which militarism affects education, whether in peacetime, during conflict, in refugee and in indigenous territories, in schools and other education settings, or even on the streets.

Consider how violence and increased militarism has affected the education of young people in countries that have recently experienced different types of armed conflict.

“We must also looked at how extremism through State and non-State policies and practices have affected the right to education, especially for girls; and how government expenditures on arms and other priorities of militarization set the tone in funding for safe and accessible education for all,” she said.

Ms Tawiah noted that “Working together we must bring an end to the attacks on women and children. It is because excluding men from participating actively in this campaign has been a serious shortcoming.

“Men also have solutions to offer in fighting violence against women and children. All of us have a role to play.

“We also remind women and children that nobody should make them feel guilty for speaking out, even if the perpetrator is a family member. Children in particular need particular care and assistance so that they can speak out and end the abuse.

“We must work with the police and the courts to ensure that these criminals are arrested and convicted of crimes against women and children.

Ms Tawiah reiterated calls for all cases of abuse, in both rural and urban areas to be reported to the authorities and police for immediate action.

From 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day, the 16 Day Activism against Gender Based Violence Campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world.

The international campaign originated from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.

The year 2015 marks the 20-year anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive road map to gender equality.

World leaders met in March at the United Nations 59 Commission on the Status of Women and in September at the 70th General Assembly and took stock of the progress made and commit to take action to close the gaps that are holding women and girls back.