Stakeholders at a review meeting held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on the implementation of the Minimum Essential Service Package (MESP) have underscored the need for effective collaboration to help fight Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
The stakeholders who made the call included representatives from the Departments of Gender, Children and Social Welfare, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, and some civil society organisations.
The event organised by the Department of Gender with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was aimed at fightingSGBV and to promote growth and development of children.
According to the stakeholders it was only through this that victims and survivors of SGBV would be adequately protected, and given the necessary essential services while perpetuators are made to face justice to serve as deterrent to others.
The Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Mr James Twene, said due to the sensitisation programme embarked on earlier is outfit with support from the UNFPA, people in the region were now getting enlightened and had begun to report cases of abuses to the law enforcement agencies for redress, however, SGBV remained a problem in the region.
He said defilement, teenage pregnancy, child marriage and other issues of SGBV were still increasing in the region and the situation was a source of worry and underscored the urgent need for stakeholders to blend synergies to make significant impact.
“One department, institution or individual cannot do it alone but when we collaborate, we can fight it because there is a lot of intimidation when handling cases of SGBV,” he said.
Mr Twene said apart from engaging men, boys and out-of-school and parent advocacy movement on preventing SGBV and promoting gender equality, the Department of Gender and other stakeholders had engaged essential service providers to play crucial roles to address issues of SGBV.
He mentioned Kassena-Nankana West, Builsa South, Bongo, Bawku, Talensi and Nabdam Districts as the beneficiary areas and noted that teenage pregnancy and SGBV were prevalent in these areas and called for support.
Mr Gilbert Agulu, Principal Nursing Officer at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, noted that although there was a marginal reduction in cases of teenage pregnancy compared to the last three years, collective effort from all stakeholders was needed to curb the phenomenon.
He advised parents to constantly engage their adolescent children, especially girls and equip them with sexual and reproductive health education to help them make informed decisions to avoid unintended pregnancies.
Ms Rose Akanson, Regional Girl Child Education Officer, Ghana Education Service, noted that due to community involvement, many girls who dropped out of school as a result of teenage pregnancy had returned to the formal school system through the government reentry policy.
She called on parents to desist from pushing their girls who were pregnant into marriage, but support them to deliver and return to school or empower themselves with skills training.
Mr Abdulai Jaladeen, Regional Director, CHRAJ, advised stakeholders to report cases of abuses for investigations and redress.
Mrs Yvonne Wonchua, Regional Focal Person, UNFPA, noted that the stakeholders noted that MESP project aimed to empower essential service providers with the capacities to provide minimum essential service to survivors of SGBV.
FROM SAMUEL ADADI AKAPULE, BOLGATANGA