Sexual and Gender-Based Violence making progress in UER

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Bolgatanga-Ghana, Nov.19, GNA – Mr James Twene, the Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Gender, says the intervention by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on Gender-Based violence is making progress in the Region.
According to him, there had been a considerable high level of sensitisation by stakeholders, including the Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service and Legal Aid, among others in some thematic areas, and that was making a positive impact on violence against women and girls.
Mr Twene said this at the third quarter Review Meeting on the Essential Services Package (ESP) for Service Providers on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), held in Bolgatanga.
The Essential Services Package (ESP) for Women and Girls subject to violence is a global guidance supporting national systems to respond to Gender-Based violence across four key sectors, including Health, Social Services, Justice and Police.
The event, organised by the Department of Gender (DoG), and aimed at tackling Sexual and Gender-Based Violence had funding support from the UNFPA.
According to the stakeholders, the sensitisation encouraged victims of violence to make reports whenever their rights were violated.
Mr Gilbert Agulu, a Principal Nursing Officer at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, noted that, though teenage Pregnancy in the Region had not reduced as much as expected, there were some successes.
According to him, the number of pregnant girls tracked on the safety net had increased from 1,334 in 2021 to 1,556 in 2022 and this he explained, was because of the awareness created on the need to attend antenatal care at health facilities when pregnant.
Ms Rose Akanson, the Regional Girl Child Education Officer, Ghana Education Service, noted that the lifestyle clubs formed in schools was making a positive impact, as it involved both boys and girls and had reduced stigmatization and led to most girls who got pregnant and dropped out of school to re-enroll.
Mr Hamidu Mohammed Aminu, the Programme Head for Community Care at the Gender and Social Welfare, said though the unit was faced with problems of enforcing directives on some defaulters due to economic challenges, it handled 70 cases of gender violence out of which 56 were continued cases and 14 new cases.
He called for more support from the government and other stakeholders to strengthen its mandate.