NCCE, DOVVSU SCHOOLED ON GENDER BASED-VIOLENCE

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) have held a joint training for their staff on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) at Crystal Palm Hotel, Tesano, Accra. The training which sought to equip and strengthen the capacity of their staff with adequate knowledge on the subject for public education and sensitization was sponsored by the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG).

The Deputy Chairman of NCCE in charge of Operations, Mr. Samuel Asare Akuamoah said that domestic violence is synonymous with violent extremism and deserves equal attention. He noted that perpetrators of both acts have the same intention of inflicting harm on victims, so there should be a conscious effort to prevent their happenings.

The Deputy Chairman said there was a need to update knowledge through capacity building to deliver effectively. Mr. Akuamoah also asked the participants to continue their education on terrorism and its effects since Ghana is not immune to terrorist attacks.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Owusuwaa Kyeremeh, Director, DOVVSU, stated that GBV was an economic issue as it affects productivity and impacts negatively on the nation’s economy. She said the act also had social and health consequences on the victim and needed a concerted effort to curb it.

ACP Owusuwaa Kyeremeh stressed the importance of the partnership with the NCCE and said disseminating information on the menace as punishment alone is not enough, but education would help reduce it. “We need to network, build capacity and share information to stop GBV, so let’s maintain this relationship”, she reiterated.

The NCCE Director of Research, Gender and Equality, Dr Henrietta Asante-Sarpong mentioned that cases of GBV are on the rise with several cases of physical and sexual violence and that globally, one out of three women experience sexual or physical violence. She said in Ghana, one out of four women have suffered physical or sexual violence by intimate partners. Dr. Asante-Sarpong said GBV is usually caused by the low socio-economic status of women, men associated with peers who condoned violence, witnessing marital violence as a child, or being a victim of abuse. She said to address these causes, it is crucial to carry out a targeted education with different segments of the population, hence the capacity-building training on the subject matter for effective sensitization.

The Deputy Chairman of the NCCE, Finance & Administration, and Lawyer Victor K. Brobbey expressed appreciation to the sponsors of the training and assured them of the Commission’s commitment to engage the public on GBV. He entreated the participants to put the knowledge acquired to good use in order to effectively sensitize citizens on the subject.

Other resource persons were the NCCE Director for Communications and Corporate Affairs, Mrs. Joyce Afutu who spoke on effective communication on GBV, the Director of Programmes (NCCE), Dr. Imurana Mohammed, who also enumerated some of the strategies for public education on the subject, a Senior Officer of the CHAG, Dr. Francis Adjei and a Legal Practitioner and Convenor of DV Coalition, Mrs. Sheila Minka-Premo.