Violence Against Women
Source: GNA
Unite Africa Campaign, a Non-Government Organisation against gender-based violence, in collaboration with civil societies at the weekend organised a walk to raise national and global awareness on ending violence against women and girls.
The walk, which was dubbed: the ‘Aburi Hill Climb’, started from the Ayi Mensah barrier in the Greater Accra Region to the Kitase LA Junior High School in the Eastern Region.
The walk also aimed to seek national commitment from all stakeholders on curbing violence against women and girls by 2015.
Mrs Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Executive Director West Africa Enslavement Prevention Alliance, said Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, had urged all to speak against violence on women and girls to ensure that priority attention was given to the issue at all levels.
Mrs Kotlyarenko, therefore, appealed to every individual to continue to fight for the rights of women and girls until they were upheld to ensure that every female lived a life free from violence and abuse.
Mrs Afua Ansre, United Nations Women’s Organiser in Ghana, said Unite Africa is the regional component of the UN Secretary General’s Global Campaign to end Violence against Women, launched in 2010, during the week of the Africa Union’s Heads of State Summit.
Mrs Ansre said the UN inter-agency brought together 11 organisations to undertake coordinated actions and activities to eliminate violence against women and girls.
She noted that as part of efforts to end gender-based violence in African countries, an initiative under the theme: ‘Speak Out, Climb Up’ has been planned to take place from March 5 to 9.
Mrs Ansre said the main event, which is the Mount Kilimanjaro Climb, would involve at least one participant from each of the 54 African countries. This would include celebrities, members from civil societies and the media.
Nana Kwasi Ankra III, Chief of Kitase, said he was delighted to be associated with the initiative to fight against the abuse of women and girls.
He appealed to all, especially men, to avoid violence against women because violence does not pay but peace is the fruit of patience.