Aburi (E/R),– The Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) has unveiled a two-year project on Domestic and Gender-Based Violence (DGBV) in Aburi in the Akuapem South Municipality to help protect and educate victims of abuse on their rights.
The Project, beginning from September 2021 to August 2022, is funded by Karen Takacs Women’s Leadership Fund of the Crossroads International and seeks to address DGBV issues through women empowerment and advocacy.
An inception meeting was organised on Thursday to discuss implementation of the project, bringing together stakeholders from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection; Ghana Police Service; Amnesty International Ghana; Department of Social Welfare and Community Development; Domestic Violence Secretariat and Ghana Federation of Disability Organizations.
Others also came from The Women Alliance; National Youth Authority, Market Women Association, Islamic Mission and the Ghana Private Road Transport.
Addressing the participants, Ms Selasi E. A. Tsegah, the Executive Director of HRAC, said the project would serve two purposes- to help educate victims of DGBV on their rights to report and also to gather statistical data on DGBV in Ghana.
She said a hashtag #SeeAbuseReportAbuse has been created on social media platforms to help respond quickly to reported cases of abuse and to inform citizens on issues about the project.
Mr George Owoo, the Programmes Manager of HRAC, said most victims of abuse chose to stay quiet on their plight because they were either ignorant about the law, or unaware of the right stakeholders to seek help from.
He also said the process involved in finding justice was very vigorous in Ghana, adding that, it discourages victims to take the first step to report their cases.
“The major problem is availability and affordability of mechanisms, proximity and the slow grinding wheel of the judicial service,” he added.
Ms Angeline Nagertey, the Akuapem South Municipal Director of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, appealed to the judicial service to handle rape cases behind closed doors.
She elaborated that most victims of rape and domestic abuse refused to report because of the processes and societal stigma when such reported cases landed in the public sphere.
Mr Samuel Agbotsey, the Fundraising Coordinator of Amnesty International Ghana, talked about the sustainability of the project to address DGBV concerns in the country.
He called for the need to carry out continuous public education to keep the project in operation and address DGBV holistically.
Ms Lydia Akuateh, the Akuapem South Municipal Coordinating Director, assured stakeholders of support and also advised victims of DGBV to muster the courage and report perpetrators to the appropriate authorities.
Source: Ghana News Agency
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