Violence against women, girls is barbaric and uncivilized – Former MP

Dr Freda Prempeh, a former Member of Parliament (MP) and Founder of the Ultimate Women Foundation (UWF), has described violence against girls and women remains as uncivilized and barbaric that should not be allowed to persist in contemporary Ghanaian society.

The foundation is a Non-governmental Organisation that seeks to encourage and motivate indigenous women and girls to know their worth and to empower and well position them to contribute to the development of their communities and larger society.

Dr Prempeh said violence against women and girls was a worst form of human right violation which required collaboration of stakeholders to tackle.

The former MP for Tano North constituency in the Ahafo Region and minister of state regretted that many victims of sexual and gender-based violence went through serious emotional pains that remained inimical to their holistic growth and development, however the menace persisted at the community levels.

Dr Prempeh therefore called for everybody’s contribution for the nation to end the violence against women and girls for them to live dignified lives.

That, she said, would put the nation on the edge to achieve the target 5.2 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 5).

Dr Prempeh said the UN enjoined countries to eliminate all violence against women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation by 2030.ll

However, just about five years to go, the former outspoken legislator expressed worry that day in and day out, the nation continued to “report incidents of gender-based violence”.

Dr Prempeh made the call in an interview with the media at Duayaw-Nkwanta in the Tano North Municipality to mark the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign.

Every year in November, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection (MoGCSP) launches and spearheads the campaign to raise awareness and promote action to eliminate violence against women and girls in the country.

Dr Prempeh indicated that ending both physical, and psychological violence against women and girls could be possible if everybody remained watchful and reported purported incidents to the relevant
institutions.

She said abuses, sexual and gender-based violence was affront to the 1992 constitution and other international conventions and protocols inimical to the holistic growth and development of women and girls.

Dr Prempeh called on traditional authorities, Assembly Members, and other opinion leaders as well as the media and the civil society community to frontline the combat against menace for women and girls
to realise their full potential and contribute meaningfully to progressive development.

She said society should also do more to stem some outmoded traditional and cultural practices like widowhood rites, forced and early marriages too.

By Dennis Peprah