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‘Don’t allow men to abuse you sexually’
Mrs Banye
To ensure that young girls stayed chaste and free from sexual abuse, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Mrs Charity Banye, has asked young girls to take responsibility for their bodies and not allow themselves to be sexually abused by men.
“You are not a refuse dump; no one has the right to abuse you at this young age in the name of relationship or under the guise of sponsoring your needs, so you need to take responsibility for your body”, she stated.
Mrs Banye stated this during an inter-generational colloquium by Curious Minds Ghana under the UNICEF supported by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation and the United Nations Children’s Fund Social and Behaviour Change (GBC-UNICEF SBC) Project.
The meeting which brought together pupils from basic schools across the Wa Municipality focused on ‘Building a better Ghana: eliminating harmful practices for sustainable development’ and sought to create a platform for dialogue on ending harmful practices such as child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
The Director stated that men who had carnal knowledge of girls because they were providing for them did not have good intentions for such girls and were only taking advantage of their vulnerability to abuse them.
“Sadly, most of the teenage pregnancy cases we have been recording recently involve boys impregnating their classmates and teachers having affair with their own pupils; so we have to speak out if we are put under such circumstances”, she said.
The Director stated that when they impregnated the girls, they were unable to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of the girls and leave them to their fate to become a burden on their parents.
“Those of you who say ‘he likes me’, ‘he says I am the most beautiful girl in the class’ and your head becomes swollen, please he is only using you, very soon he will dump you for another person because you are way too young for this kind of engagement at this age”, she emphasized.
She explained that it was necessary for girls to speak out when they were been abused regardless of the status of the abuser in the family of the victim in order to avoid the attitude of shielding people who harmed young girls.
Mrs Banye appealed to boys to protect the girls and not sleep with them, encouraging the youngsters to focus on their education instead of unhealthy relationships.
For his part, the Project Manager, Mr Kingsley Obeng Kyere called for a deliberate allocation of resources to promote the rights and wellbeing of children in Ghana.
Mr Kyerej who is also a journalist stated that the sustainable development goals and other such international declarations considered the well-being of children hence had enshrined specific clauses to promote the rights of children.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Ghana’s First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has made a generous donation to the country’s national female Under-17 and Under-20 teams – Black Maidens and Black Princesses- as they continue preparations for major international assignments.
The donation, made on Friday, May 22, was presented on behalf of the First Lady by the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, at the GFA Technical Centre in Prampram.
The gesture forms part of efforts to motivate and support Ghana’s young female footballers as they prepare to represent the country on the international stage.
The donation included essential food items and toiletries aimed at supporting the welfare and well-being of the players and technical teams.
The donation included cartons of Milo, T-rolls, soft drinks, toiletries, and a range of essential supplies aimed at supporting the welfare of the players, enhancing camp conditions, and easing preparations ahead of their respective assignments.
The Black Maidens are currently engaged in preparations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers and are set to take on Liberia women’s national under-17 football team in the second-leg encounter in Liberia this weekend.
Meanwhile, the Black Princesses have already secured qualification to the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Uganda in the qualifiers, extending Ghana’s remarkable record to eight consecutive appearances at the tournament.
The donation by the First Lady was expected to boost morale within both camps while reinforcing national support for the young female footballers who continue to make the country proud.
The prosecution has officially rested its case in The Republic v Solomon Asamoah & Another, the high-profile legal battle commonly referred to as the “Sky Train” case.
The Deputy Attorney General Justice Srem Sai announced the development, praising the state’s team of hard-working prosecutors for successfully anchoring the state’s evidence before the High Court.
The criminal trial centers on the former Chief Executive Officer and the former Board Chairman of the Ghana Infrastructure Investment Fund (GIIF).
The duo stands accused of illegally authorizing and paying out US$2 million to a foreign company without obtaining board directives or other mandatory statutory approvals.
State investigators have confirmed that the disbursed millions cannot be found.
Following the closure of the prosecution’s case, the accused persons moved the court for an opportunity to file a submission of no case.
The presiding judge granted the application, ordering the defense to submit their arguments by June 8.
The outcome of the June 8 filings will decide the fate of the trial:
With this, if the judge finds the defense’s submission convincing, the accused will be acquitted and discharged however, If the judge dismisses the submission, the court will order the accused officials to take the stand and explain why they should not face prison sentences.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
