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Stay chaste and free from sexual abuse – Gender activis
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 them to take responsibility of 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 education so you need to take responsibility of your body,” she advised.
Mrs Banye gave this advice during an inter-generational colloquium organised by Curious Minds. It was supported by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) – 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.
According to the director, when the boys impregnate the girls they are unable to take care of them so they leave them to their fate to become a burden on their parents.
Mrs Banye appealed to the boys to protect the girls and not sleep with them and also encouraged the youngsters to focus on their education instead of engaging in unhealthy relationships and pre-marital affairs.
For his part, the Project Manager, Mr Kingsley Obeng Kyere called for deliberate allocation of resources to promote the rights and well-being of children in Ghana.
He explained that the resources should be used to support efforts aimed at protecting children from harmful practices such as early marriage, parental negligence of duty and other harmful societal practices that prevent children from discovering and reaching their full potentials in life.
Mr Kyerej, who is also a journalist said that the sustainable development goals and other such international declarations considered the well-being of children hence it had enshrined specific clauses to promote the rights of children.
He appealed to stakeholders in child welfare issues to work together to protect the rights of children.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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