Dr Wilfred Ochan, Resident representative UNFPA Ghana, has called on traditional and religious authorities to use their influence to mobilize the population against all forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV). 'The role of traditional and religious authorities are critical in the campaign in ending GBV and I therefore call on you to use your influence to mobilize the population against all forms of GBV as well as provide protection, support and referral for care of victims and survivors'. He said it was also imperative to provide clear and non-judgemental referral to survivors of Violence given the level of their influence in the society while calling on all stakeholders to ensure accountability from leaders on behalf of women and girls. Dr Ochan, who was speaking at a UN Women Regional Consultation workshop with traditional and Faith leaders in Accra, noted that despite governments commitment to protocols and conventions to protect the rights of women and girls, GBV remained a pervasive human rights violatio n which affected women and girls, globally. 'Like all other places in the world, Ghana has its own issues with GBV, Female Genital Multilation (FGM), Child Marriage, Rape, Defilement, social and economic neglect and emotional abuses continued to occur and there are reported cases everyday'. In the light of these 'we cannot overemphasize the critical role of our traditional and religious leaders as well as NGOs and CSOs in Ghana's campaign against GBV' . While commending the organizers of the consultative workshop for engaging that critical section of the populace for better outcomes in ending Gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls, he called for high commitments from leaders of these institutions. The Regional consultation on the role of traditional, cultural and faith leaders in ending GBV by Advancing Advocacy, Policy and Social Norms Change was organized by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) West and Central Regional office in collaboration with the UN Women Nigeria Country office. The objective of the consultation was to meaningfully partner with powerful agents of social change to shift underlying structures of power within communities, end harmful practices, address religious misconceptions and transform cultural norms surrounding violence against women and girls. Also known as the LEAP project, the Traditional and Cultural leaders for ending GBV by Advancing Advocacy, Policy and Social Norms Change, in Nigeria and West Africa sought to review and in some cases transform social norms, which were harmful to women and girls. Ms Afua Ansre, Senior Gender Specialist, UN Women, explained that the LEAP was a flagship programme on male engagement to put in place policies and practices to address gender-based discrimination as well as combat gender stereotypes. Given the fact that traditional and Faith leaders like other decision makers or policy makers shape the status quo, engaging and working with these groups in West Africa was crucial to ending violence against women and girls and promoting women's empowerment. She said the consultation was geared towards listening and learning from experiences in tackling the challenge of violence against women and girls and hoped that it would synergize efforts to accelerate positive actions addressing GBV in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Consultants from Nigeria on the LEAP project shared experiences and identified challenges in some of the West African countries and led discussions on the Regional accountability framework and actions of commitments on the part of traditional and religious leaders. Source: Ghana News Agency
- November 9, 2024
