Wife of vice president, Mrs. Samira Bawumia (forth from left), the Minister of Gender Children and Social Protection (fifth right from right) with other dignitaries after the launch of the Safe School Programme.
More than five million people have been reached with campaign messages that prevent abuse and promote the wellbeing of children 12 months into the Ghanaians Against Child Abuse (GACA) campaign.
The GACA campaign launched in November 2017 by Mrs. Samira Bawumia, wife of the Vice President, has already reached more than two million of the audience via digital platforms, and over three million people engaged through community mobile theatres and dialogues, including offline visibility via messaging on bill boards across Ghana.
Last year, approximately 70 districts across all the 10 regions in Ghana carried activities and events bordering on the GACA campaign, which has now spread to more than 1,000 communities.
Speaking at the anniversary celebration at the Achimota Senior High School, Mrs. Samira Bawumia made a call for others to join the GACA campaign on social media.
She asserted that although there had been significant progress, children still continue to experience frequent and multiple forms of physical, sexual and emotional violence.
“I have children and I will never want to see them abused. Child abuse still happens in Ghana and it must end. Be a Ghanaian against child abuse,” she declared.
Cynthia Morrison, Minister for Gender Children and Social Protection, noted that creating a safe and non-abusive society is a collective responsibility, adding that “I would like to call on every Ghanaian to join the campaign and make Ghana a safe place for our children.”
“We are encouraged by the commitment and the wonderful stories and testimonials resulting from the campaign. With the communities and all partners, we look forward to further reducing the incidence of violence against children in the coming years,” Anne-Claire Dufay, UNICEF Representative in Ghana, said.
The event also saw the launch of the Safe Schools Programme (SSP) aimed at addressing the root causes of violence at schools, including corporal punishment, sexual harassment and bullying.
A Safe School Resource Pack (SSRP), developed by Ghana Education Service (GES), with support from UNICEF, has been designed to help prevent school-based violence, including gender-based violence as well as equipping teachers, guidance and counselling coordinators, children and adolescents with the needed skills to ensure that schools are free from all forms of violence.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri