Malonin Asibi speaking at the launch
THE MINISTRY of Gender, Children and Social Protection has launched a 16-day activism against gender-based violence campaign.
The launch of the campaign took place on Monday, November 26, 2018, in Accra. It was in partnership with some key development partners namely UNICEF, UNFPA.
Speaking at the ceremony held at the Coconut Groove Hotel, acting Executive Secretary of the Domestic Violence Secretariat of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Malonin Asibi, explained that the most worrying issue of gender-based violence was “sexual exploitation and molestation of the girl-child that seems to be on the ascendancy.”
According to her, “this ugly trend must not gain ground in our societies. You will agree with me that gender-based violence has no boundaries; it happens everywhere across the globe and in different dimensions.”
She stated that the 16 days of activism campaign is a platform used each year to continue to build on existing awareness and strengthen networking and partnership with the aim of changing stereotyped mindsets about women and girls in relation to gender-based violence in societies around the world.
She indicated that “as we join the rest of the world to launch and embark on the 2018 campaign under the global theme: ‘Orange the World: #HearMeToo’, I see this as a reawakening call that has been neglected for decades.”
She added that “these voices could be those in our own homes, neighborhoods, churches, schools and the nation as a whole.”
According to her, “we all have a daunting task to get closer to these voices that need at least one listening ear. Your efforts are never too little in the fight against gender-based violence.”
On her part, UNICEF Ghana Country Representative, Claire Anne-Duday, observed that the figures on gender-based violence were quite alarming, as one in every three women is said to be experiencing some form of gender-based violence.
BY Melvin Tarlue