Accra: RUWA-Ghana, a women's rights not-for-profit organisation, has launched a campaign to promote Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) in the Upper West Region using gender transformative tools such as social media.
According to Ghana News Agency, the ENOUGH campaign aims to ensure equal opportunities for all individuals in various aspects of life, including education, leadership, and participation in decision-making processes. The campaign, titled 'ENOUGH! Empowering Girls, Boys, Women and Men through Creativity and Social Media to Break the Silence on SGBV for Gender Transformation', is funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).
During the launch event in Wa, Mr Masud Aziz Rauf, the Executive Director of RUWA-Ghana, highlighted the necessity of the campaign due to the prevailing silence surrounding issues of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) in communities. He noted that despite existing laws against SGBV, regions like the Upper West continue to face significant gender-related challenges.
Mr Rauf stated that deeply entrenched cultural norms and patriarchal structures contribute to ongoing discrimination and violence, despite progress in legislative frameworks aimed at protecting the rights of women and marginalized groups. The ENOUGH project plans to engage various stakeholders to challenge these harmful gender norms, improve gender-sensitive communication, and build capacity for gender-responsive programming.
The region, characterized by remote and underserved communities, faces high poverty rates, low literacy levels, and limited access to essential services such as healthcare and social support, which are drivers of gender-related violence. The project targets communities in Wa Municipality and Wa West District, where instances of gender inequalities and SGBV are prevalent.
Mr Sebastien Ziem from the Upper West Regional office of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) highlighted the detrimental impact of silence surrounding SGBV, discrimination, and stigmatisation, which enables perpetrators and leaves survivors in fear. He called for an end to harmful beliefs and practices that excuse violence and allow perpetrators to escape justice.
Pognaa Rosemary Bangzie Mumwilma, the Queen Mother of Duong in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, chaired the program and emphasized the alignment of the ENOUGH campaign with the Affirmative Action Act. She urged traditional leaders and society members to support the campaign to achieve its goal of significantly reducing or ending SGBV issues.
