Ahuofe Patricia
Actress Priscilla Opoku Agyeman, known in showbiz as Ahuofe Patri, is embarking on a campaign to empower young female students against sexual abuse.
This is part of activities by She Power Africa, a non-governmental organisation founded by Ahoufe Patri, to also promote gender equality while ending sexual violence against women and children, in collaboration with Lokhanda.
The skit star, together with her team, started the campaign with female students at Gomoa Dampase D/A Model Basic School in the Central Region last week.
The programme saw some 72 female participants between Class 6 to JHS 2 within the ages of 12-18 learn and practise safety skills to understand consent, build confidence, recognise, prevent and also report any form of sexual misconduct ranging from stalking, rape, molestation, inappropriate touching and comments, watching pornography and sexual exploitations.
The girls were also taught to be persistent in getting help or response from trusted authorities or persons when they experience any behaviour or threat of abuse.
Ahuofe Ahoufe Patri, together with the project manager, Lord Kwadjo Andoh, also conducted a survey with questionnaires distributed amongst the girls and asked them to anonymously complete them with the aim to study and determine the prevalence of varying forms of abuse for future purposes.
The boys were also taught about consent and advised to report any form of behaviour or abuse against victims, as well as not see girls as object of abuse.
“I am very humbled and privileged to be given such an opportunity to contribute my quota to our nation building. It is my prayer and hopes that together with support from friends, government, stakeholders and everyone out there, we can give a voice to all women to speak out and defend our rights and fulfil our full potential especially dealing with such underreported chronic behaviour destroying the future of our young women and children,” Ahuofe said.
The headmaster of the school, Paul Dagbui Joseph, in a remark, congratulated Ahuofe Patri and her team for choosing to help girls against sexual abuse.
“I have witnessed and I trust that She Power is the new dawn to stop abuse in our schools and has come to stay, please don‘t go we need you here,” he added.