Mr John Nkaw, Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, an international NGO, has called on President Nana Akufo-Addo to swiftly assent to the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act passed by Parliament to enhance the empowerment and protection of vulnerable groups including women and girls. He said assenting to the Act would also ensure that its provisions were translated into concrete actions that could dismantle systematic barriers impeding women's progress at all levels. Mr Nkaw made the call whilst addressing stakeholders at a day's consultative meeting in Tamale to strategise on measures to provide pro-bono services for women survivors of gender-based violence. It was organised by the Northern Regional Programme Office of ActionAid Ghana in partnership with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana) with funding support from the European Commission. It formed part of the implementation of a 30-month project dubbed: 'Transformative Action for Gender Equality (SAGE)'. Representatives from the Attorney-General's Department, Legal Aid Commission among other stakeholders from the Northern and Upper East Regions to ensure inter-sectoral and legal support to combat violence against women in the country. Mr Nkaw said the enforcement of the Act would not only catalyse economic empowerment for women, but also foster an environment where they could contribute meaningfully to the nation's development. He added that 'Empowered women are likely to invest in their families' health, education and well-being thereby driving sustainable development and ushering in a new era of social change.' He called on the President to assent to the amended Criminal Offences Act passed by Parliament or to take steps to propose a similar bill as he promised Ghanaians. He said, 'By assenting to both laws, the President would have validated his commitment to safeguarding the rights and dignity of all women and girls in Ghana as it is enshrined in article 27 of the Constitution.' Mrs Esther Boateng, Northern Regional Prog rammes Manager of ActionAid Ghana, said the event was to discuss the importance of supporting survivors of domestic violence and the need to encourage victims to report abuse cases for legal redress. She said it was also to solicit the commitment of legal firms in the Northern and Upper East Regions towards providing pro-bono legal services, especially for women and girls with disabilities. Mr Issah Mahamudu, Northern Regional Director, Legal Aid Commission, underscored the need for lawyers to offer pro-bono legal services to vulnerable groups in the country as part of efforts to achieve access to justice. He called on various civil society organisations and other NGOs to support lawyers by way of providing incentives and logistics to enable them seek justice for the less privileged. Madam Alhassan Bushira, Acting Northern Regional Director, Department of Gender, said it was unfortunate that most victims of domestic violence only reported abuse cases to family members and friends without taking the much-n eeded steps to report to the law enforcement agencies. She said such development often resulted in victims resorting to home settlement of the cases, which sometimes infringed on their fundamental rights. She said, 'Domestic violence cases are criminal in nature and should be reported to the law enforcement agencies for appropriate actions.' Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mrs Vicentia Aboagye, Northern Regional Coordinator, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit of the Ghana Police Service, said delays in reporting abuse cases, and difficulty in getting funds for medical and psychological support for victims were some of the challenges affecting the fight against women and girls abused. She called for more community engagement programmes to educate people on domestic violence, its effects, and the need to speak up, and seek justice. Participants, after group discussions on ways to improve access to legal services, called for the introduction of legal assistance clinics and outreach programme s across the regions to educate people on legal issues. Source : Ghana News Agency