Mrs Bernice Sam, a Gender Consultant, has called for more vigilance and conviction of more perpetuators of violence against women and girls to deter others.
She said men, mainly perpetuators of the offence, were committing hurting women with impunity.
Mrs Sam, also a Lawyer, made the call at the Ghana National International Network to End Violence Against Women and Girls (INEVAWG) consultation to re-politicise violence against women and girls.
Mrs Sam noted that many cases of violence against women and girls had been recorded by the Ghana Police Service, however the number of convictions made were not enough.
She said in 2019, a report by the Police Service showed that out of 6,500 reported cases of assault, only 63 were convicted, 17 out of 1200 defilement reported cases were convicted and 11 out of 1100 cases of threat of death were convicted.
That, the Gender Consultant said, was hurting women and girls in various forms while such offenses increase in society. “ …Impunity of abuse of children and women is back with a bang,” she said.
Mrs Sam called on all stakeholders including the Police, judiciary and social welfare to address the issues of violence against women and girls efficiently.
The Lawyer underscored the need for the citizenry to be educated extensively on the laws against violence.
Professor Akosua Darkwa, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, said all forms of violence were problematic and must be addressed as equal.
Studies show that there is a relationship between levels of education and the form of violence one experiences.
It indicated that women with tertiary were less likely to experience physical abuse than the uneducated.
She encouraged younger women who would take up the obligation to advocate for women and girls to intensify the efforts of the older advocates.
Prof Darkwa advised that spaces must be created for others with different social demographic characteristics to be heard.
Dr Amanda Odoi, Research Fellow, Centre for Gender Research, Advocacy and Documentation, University of Cape Coast, urged the older generation of advocates to help the younger ones with the laws and policies while the younger ones used social media and other tools to push the fight against women and girls.
Dr Odoi, also a Feminist and Gender Expert, noted that many of the older advocates mentored and offered them spaces to operate, however, more of the younger ones had the difficulty to approach them.
Ms Gloria Kankam, a member INEVAWG, said the Network sought to build a fierce and strong feminine side as the fight against violence on women and girls was waning.
She called for funds for stakeholders to effectively fight against the menace on women and girls.
INEVAWG was founded in 2014 in South Africa as a response to heightened global concerns about violence against women and girls, and increasing levels of impunity and poor state accountability.
Source: Ghana News Agency