Story: Salome Donkor
The common theme running through the messages of all those who have the interest of Ghanaian women and children at heart during this festive season, and the years ahead is the desire to see the end of problems militating against the development of women and children.
A gender activist and a columnist of the Daily Graphic, Nana Oye Luther, wrote in her column in the Tuesday, December 22 issue that her Christmas wish for women in Ghana “is for the better economically endowed Ghanaian woman to reach out of her comfort zone and give a Christmas present to a rural disadvantaged woman. Give her a package to help educate her children”.
The report of the Parliamentary Committee on Gender and Children on the 2010 annual budget estimates of the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), presented to Parliament recently by the Chairman of the committee, Mr Sampson Ahi, urged the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) to re-prioritise its activities in order to provide skills training for women’s groups under the ministry’s budget allocation for 2010.
The committee stated that in reviewing the performance of MOWAC in 2009, it realised that no skills training and economic support was provided for women’s groups, adding that providing skills training and economic support for women’s groups was a means of empowering women financially and thereby accelerating the socio-economic development of the country.
In her Christmas message, the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, called on the citizenry to reflect on the various problems militating against the development of women and children in Ghana, such as parental irresponsibility, child neglect, child abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence and rape, among others.
She said in spite of the many interventions put in place by the government to make education accessible to all, such as the Capitation Grant, the School Feeding Programme and the provision of free uniforms and exercise books to pupils in all public basic schools, some irresponsible parents failed to enrol their children in school, adding “ these children end up on the streets with some growing to become social miscreants engaging in armed robbery, drug abuse and prostitution, among others”.
“Women and children face rape and physical abuse daily. These experiences lead to psychological trauma, depression, the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), including HIV and AIDS, physical disabilities and sometimes, even death”, the minister lamented.
She, therefore urged all to use the Yuletide to reflect on the problems and also work out ways in which all Ghanaians could assist to end “these social cankers”.
She said it was the responsibility of every Ghanaian to report perpetrators of rape and other abuse on women and children to the police and security agencies, stressing that “parents should take the education, welfare and protection of their children seriously to ensure that they grow up to become responsible adults”.
Ms Dansua indicated that the government for its part would continue to put in place the necessary interventions to address women and children’s issues and ensure that women and children in the society would be able to develop their full potential without any social, cultural or economic impediments and also offer maximum protection to enable them to grow up to become productive citizens.
“As we celebrate Christmas and also prepare for the New Year, I wish, on behalf of the ministry and on my own behalf, to extend our gratitude and best wishes to all Ghanaians, especially our stakeholders, who have supported us this year to advance the cause of women and children in Ghana” she said.
A message from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service urged parents and guardians to remain committed to the upbringing of their children.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Public Affairs Officer of DOVVSU, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Freeman Tettey, said Christmas was a period of showing love, understanding and giving, and advised parents who had neglected their parental responsibilities to honour their duties to God and humanity and ensure that their children were provided with food, clothing and shelter, the basic necessities of life.
He said records of cases received by DOVVSU indicated that child non-maintenance was on the ascendancy and pointed out that the issue had a correlation with the crime rate, since children who were neglected and left on the streets tended to engage in all kinds of anti-social vices.
According to him, child non-maintenance cases constituted 458 out of the total of 12,456 cases reported to the unit between January and December this year, and described the situation as a serious threat to the foundation of society.
Mr Tettey, therefore advised parents to be very responsible and also remain vigilant during the festive period so that their children would not fall victim to perpetrators of rape, defilement and other violent crimes against women and children.
He appealed to the public to co-operate with the police to fight violence against women and children by reporting people who commit such crime to the police.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Darlings Foundation expands programmes
Story: Salome Donkor
SINCE its establishment in 1998, the Darlings Human Development Foundation (DHDF), a charitable non-governmental organisation, has worked consistently to render quality service to women and children in need, the marginalised and the vulnerable groups in society.
The organisation is dedicated to helping women, children and beneficiary communities to reach their full potential by empowering rural women to develop themselves and to improve their financial position through micro-economic ventures, farming, vocational training, among others.
The programmes of the organisation, which operates in 24 communities in the Agona East District of the Central Region, are geared towards reducing family burden, cutting down on rural-urban drift, child delinquency and teenage pregnancy, and to also sensitise rural dwellers to the importance of education, especially for the girl-child.
The DHDF also aims at providing access to quality education and vocational training in the rural communities and organising educational programmes on sexual reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS and enhancing good parenting.
The organisation’s annual report for 2009 indicates that the DHDF believes that by such strategies, the inequalities between the urban and the rural dwellers could be bridged.
The report also indicates that the DHDF has developed in-depth understanding of how to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and, therefore, works with communities to help them find their own solutions, come up with sustainable ways to make a living and take part in changing balance of power, which is often tipped against them.
Since the construction of the multi-purpose Akokoasa District Assembly Primary School, the organisation had been providing educational support, such as allowances for teachers, uniforms for needy pupils, textbooks and sporting kits.
To improve academic standard of the pupils and to attract and retain teachers, the organisation purchased a set of generator for the school to be used in the night for both academic and domestic purposes.
The organisation has also set up a vocational centre at Amanfro No.11 and provides staff of the centre with allowances, educational materials, daily lunch for students and scholarship packages to orphans and the needy.
Through interventions of the organisation, 78 widows have been supported with clothing, cash and other relief items, while the DHDF support services to homes and orphanages have benefited the Osu Children’s Home, Village of Hope, and Christ Foster Home.
The report said in the ensuing year, the organisation hopes to put up a three-unit classroom and a KG/Nursery block for children at Otabilkwaa in the Agona East District of the Central Region, raise funds to provide bursaries for about 20 needy girls in the Darlings Vocational Training Centre and construct the first phase of the Darlings Villa in the Yilo Krobo District.
The report expressed the organisation’s appreciation to all those who supported its operations, and appealed to philanthropic individuals, organisations and corporate bodies for further assistance.
SINCE its establishment in 1998, the Darlings Human Development Foundation (DHDF), a charitable non-governmental organisation, has worked consistently to render quality service to women and children in need, the marginalised and the vulnerable groups in society.
The organisation is dedicated to helping women, children and beneficiary communities to reach their full potential by empowering rural women to develop themselves and to improve their financial position through micro-economic ventures, farming, vocational training, among others.
The programmes of the organisation, which operates in 24 communities in the Agona East District of the Central Region, are geared towards reducing family burden, cutting down on rural-urban drift, child delinquency and teenage pregnancy, and to also sensitise rural dwellers to the importance of education, especially for the girl-child.
The DHDF also aims at providing access to quality education and vocational training in the rural communities and organising educational programmes on sexual reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS and enhancing good parenting.
The organisation’s annual report for 2009 indicates that the DHDF believes that by such strategies, the inequalities between the urban and the rural dwellers could be bridged.
The report also indicates that the DHDF has developed in-depth understanding of how to tackle the underlying causes of poverty and, therefore, works with communities to help them find their own solutions, come up with sustainable ways to make a living and take part in changing balance of power, which is often tipped against them.
Since the construction of the multi-purpose Akokoasa District Assembly Primary School, the organisation had been providing educational support, such as allowances for teachers, uniforms for needy pupils, textbooks and sporting kits.
To improve academic standard of the pupils and to attract and retain teachers, the organisation purchased a set of generator for the school to be used in the night for both academic and domestic purposes.
The organisation has also set up a vocational centre at Amanfro No.11 and provides staff of the centre with allowances, educational materials, daily lunch for students and scholarship packages to orphans and the needy.
Through interventions of the organisation, 78 widows have been supported with clothing, cash and other relief items, while the DHDF support services to homes and orphanages have benefited the Osu Children’s Home, Village of Hope, and Christ Foster Home.
The report said in the ensuing year, the organisation hopes to put up a three-unit classroom and a KG/Nursery block for children at Otabilkwaa in the Agona East District of the Central Region, raise funds to provide bursaries for about 20 needy girls in the Darlings Vocational Training Centre and construct the first phase of the Darlings Villa in the Yilo Krobo District.
The report expressed the organisation’s appreciation to all those who supported its operations, and appealed to philanthropic individuals, organisations and corporate bodies for further assistance.
Challenging Heights faces death threats
Story: Salome Donkor
THE Executive Director of Challenging Heights, Mr James Kofi Annan, has stated that members of the child-related non-governmental organisation in Winneba and related organisations have been receiving death threats from some people for working on child trafficking cases in the area.
He said that began after his organisation, with support from the West Africa Regional Co-ordinator of Free the Slaves, Mr Emmanuel Otoo, and other organisations co-operated with the police to arrest child traffickers in the Winneba area following community sensitisation programmes organised on child trafficking.
Their efforts led to the arrest, trial and conviction of a woman who trafficked two children from the Central Region to Yeji for fishing on the Volta Lake.
The woman, Comfort Sam, alias Simpa Aba, was sentenced to three years in prison by an Agona Swedru Circuit Court presided over by Justice N.K.E. Osam, on January 8, 2010, after she had been found guilty on three counts of conspiracy, human trafficking and the use of trafficked persons.
Comfort's husband, Kofi Sammy, who is alleged to be part of a network engaged in child trafficking, is also facing trial and will appear before the court on Thursday, January 21. He is currently being held in police custody.
Also accused is the mother of the two boys, Efua Grace, who is currently on police bail.
According to the police, the victims, who are brothers, were both sold for GH¢115 by their mother three years ago when they were six and eight.
Mr Annan described the threats on their lives as serious and indicated that the matter had been reported to the relevant security agencies for further action.
He said human trafficking was a gross abuse of fundamental human rights and criminal offence under the Children's Act 1998, Act 560, adding that Ghana prohibited all forms of trafficking through its 2005 Human Trafficking Act which prescribes a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment for all forms of trafficking.
Throwing more light on the case, Mr Annan said with information from community members, the organisation initiated efforts to search and rescue the children in August 2009.
He said the rescue team met with the traffickers three times at Makango on the Yeji side of the Volta Lake and warned them and other fishermen also holding children in slavery to return them to their parents and never to use children any longer because it was illegal.
He said efforts by the rescue team to have the children released proved futile and the case was subsequently reported to the Winneba Police, who assisted Challenging Heights in contacting the Yeji Police for further assistance.
Mr Annan said child trafficking persisted in Ghana, despite the Human Trafficking Act passed by Parliament five years ago, and recalled that in July last year a court in Accra sentenced three Chinese to 41 years in imprisonment for human trafficking.
He said his organisation would not relent in its efforts to support the security agencies to curb the menace of child trafficking and asked members of communities to assist in dealing with the problem.
He said the police had assured it of full protection and warned the public that threats against individuals were very serious offences punishable by law, adding that the relevant units within the police had expressed their commitment to the fullest use of the law to protect human rights activists.
THE Executive Director of Challenging Heights, Mr James Kofi Annan, has stated that members of the child-related non-governmental organisation in Winneba and related organisations have been receiving death threats from some people for working on child trafficking cases in the area.
He said that began after his organisation, with support from the West Africa Regional Co-ordinator of Free the Slaves, Mr Emmanuel Otoo, and other organisations co-operated with the police to arrest child traffickers in the Winneba area following community sensitisation programmes organised on child trafficking.
Their efforts led to the arrest, trial and conviction of a woman who trafficked two children from the Central Region to Yeji for fishing on the Volta Lake.
The woman, Comfort Sam, alias Simpa Aba, was sentenced to three years in prison by an Agona Swedru Circuit Court presided over by Justice N.K.E. Osam, on January 8, 2010, after she had been found guilty on three counts of conspiracy, human trafficking and the use of trafficked persons.
Comfort's husband, Kofi Sammy, who is alleged to be part of a network engaged in child trafficking, is also facing trial and will appear before the court on Thursday, January 21. He is currently being held in police custody.
Also accused is the mother of the two boys, Efua Grace, who is currently on police bail.
According to the police, the victims, who are brothers, were both sold for GH¢115 by their mother three years ago when they were six and eight.
Mr Annan described the threats on their lives as serious and indicated that the matter had been reported to the relevant security agencies for further action.
He said human trafficking was a gross abuse of fundamental human rights and criminal offence under the Children's Act 1998, Act 560, adding that Ghana prohibited all forms of trafficking through its 2005 Human Trafficking Act which prescribes a minimum penalty of five years imprisonment for all forms of trafficking.
Throwing more light on the case, Mr Annan said with information from community members, the organisation initiated efforts to search and rescue the children in August 2009.
He said the rescue team met with the traffickers three times at Makango on the Yeji side of the Volta Lake and warned them and other fishermen also holding children in slavery to return them to their parents and never to use children any longer because it was illegal.
He said efforts by the rescue team to have the children released proved futile and the case was subsequently reported to the Winneba Police, who assisted Challenging Heights in contacting the Yeji Police for further assistance.
Mr Annan said child trafficking persisted in Ghana, despite the Human Trafficking Act passed by Parliament five years ago, and recalled that in July last year a court in Accra sentenced three Chinese to 41 years in imprisonment for human trafficking.
He said his organisation would not relent in its efforts to support the security agencies to curb the menace of child trafficking and asked members of communities to assist in dealing with the problem.
He said the police had assured it of full protection and warned the public that threats against individuals were very serious offences punishable by law, adding that the relevant units within the police had expressed their commitment to the fullest use of the law to protect human rights activists.
Increase in sexual assault is worrying
Article: Salome Donkor
The shocking account of the ordeal of a 10-year-old class five pupil who was allegedly defiled by a man at Achimota who escaped after the act, was horrifying. The girl bled profusely and defecated on the floor as a result of the sexual assault on her.
The victim (name withheld), narrated her ordeal, during the Metro TV evening news on Monday January 25, speaking fluent English and vividly explaining what happened to her on the day in question.
She said she was sent to buy something and on her way back home, she met the suspect who said he was looking for somebody.
The innocent girl told him that she did not know the person in question but advised the man to get in touch with her parents who may be of help to him.
The stranger walked together with the girl for a while and on their way, he branched to a nearby house where nobody was around and called the girl to come and look at something.
When the girl got there, he drew a knife and told her that he was going to rape her and warned her that he would kill her if she resisted. He, therefore, covered the innocent girl’s mouth, tied her hands and pinned her down and defiled her.
A content analysis of some newspapers show an increasing spate of reported cases of defilement in parts of the country. No day goes by in this country without any defilement or rape case either being reported in the media, at the law courts or police service.
Statistics from the Greater Accra office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service indicate that sexual offence cases recorded by the unit in the region, increased from 4,904 in 2008 to 5,709 last year.
The breakdown is 552 cases of defilement, 161 cases of rape, 59 cases of indecent assault and 15 cases of incest recorded in 2008. In 2009, the unit recorded 492 cases of defilement, 170 cases of rape, 64 cases of indecent assault and 14 cases of incest and most of these offences were committed by strangers, tenants, neighbours and close relations of the victims.
Some of the cases are so pathetic that one wonders whether the future of women to-be, will be worth what is being fought for now. Some of the suspects and perpetrators are above 60 years while some victims are minors less than one year old.
Can one imagine these stories, all published in the Friday January 22 issue of the Ghanaian Times. One story said “a 25-year-old shoemaker has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment by a Kumasi Circuit Court for raping a porter”, another said “a 20-year-old carpenter at the Sokoban Wood Village has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment by a Circuit Court in Kumasi for defiling an eight-year-old girl”.
Another story stated that “three persons, an adult and two juveniles, who allegedly gang-raped a 14-year-old girl, were on Tuesday put before a circuit court in Cape Coast on charges of defilement”, while another said “ the Juaso Circuit Court has remanded a 20-year-old photographer in prison custody for defiling a six-year-old girl”.
The Greater Accra Regional Public Relations Officer of DOVVSU, Chief Inspector Irene Oppong, defines defilement as the act of having sexual intercourse with a child below the age of 16.
Many are the children who are defiled each day but do not have the courage to disclose their plight. Majority of such victims are children who live in compound houses and newly created suburbs or vicinities, where only few people have put up buildings.
Other groups of victims are children who seem to have no parental or guardian control. Most men who abuse these minors sexually have often been successful in deceiving their victims with threats of death, should they disclose to anybody, while others give their victims confectioneries or meagre sums to prevent them from disclosing their ordeal to anybody.
These acts leave the victims with serious physical injuries, disabilities, emotional and mental problems and sometimes lead to death.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) adopted 20 years ago and Ghana’s Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560) stresses that the dignity and rights of every child are to be respected in every circumstance. The Act has served as a working tool for Ghana and has been translated into six major local languages.
So many of the cases are tried in courts and the culprits convicted when they are found guilty but the increasing spate of reported cases of rape and defilement, is outrageous and there is still more to be done to deal with the situation.
A Ghana News Agency health news on May 5, 2009 said Dr Peter Baffoe, a gynaecologist at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, has expressed concern at the spate of rape and defilement cases in the country and said if pragmatic measures were not taken to deal with the problem immediately it would become worse.
The doctor explained that there were several and serious health implications for victims of rape and defilement. He mentioned HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases that could be transmitted to the victims of rape and noted that some girls who were raped or defiled sometimes refused to take male partners for marriage due to the trauma they underwent as victims in their earlier life.
The doctor said rape and defilement in some instances could lead to infertility in women and called for the enforcement of the law to deal drastically with anybody who indulged in rape, to serve as a deterrent. He indicated that there were a lot of instances where rape and defilement cases were not given serious attention by the courts and said this often discouraged people from reporting their cases to the police.
Chief Inspector Oppong called for maximum co-operation, in terms of reporting, between the public and the police. She said most sexual offences need witnesses and it is difficult for justice to be done when there are no witnesses.
The PRO, who gave some security tips to parents, children and the general public, advised girls and women not to walk alone in the night or even during the day in secluded areas, not to follow people to secluded area or attend to strangers.
She also advised them not to accept gifts from men, desist from watching television in people’s rooms and avoid sitting on the beds of people they visit and also wear tight trousers when going out.
She said parents should also give their daughters security tips constantly and ensure that an elderly person always accompanies drivers who pick their children from school and also avoid leaving their daughters in the care of houseboys, male friends, neighbours and associates.
She said family members, family heads or clans of victims of sexual assault should consider the hazards the victims were likely to undergo in the future and desist from settling such cases out of court.
Much as the police and the courts are expected to see to speedily facilitate the processes in dealing with rape and defilement cases, parents also need to take proper care of their children, refrain from sending their children during odd times and report defilement and rape cases to the Unit.
The problem needs the support of all to battle it out though it is expected demands must be put on the police to deliver to expectation, it is also expected that parents and guardians, the media and the general public as a whole must play their role in the process.
The shocking account of the ordeal of a 10-year-old class five pupil who was allegedly defiled by a man at Achimota who escaped after the act, was horrifying. The girl bled profusely and defecated on the floor as a result of the sexual assault on her.
The victim (name withheld), narrated her ordeal, during the Metro TV evening news on Monday January 25, speaking fluent English and vividly explaining what happened to her on the day in question.
She said she was sent to buy something and on her way back home, she met the suspect who said he was looking for somebody.
The innocent girl told him that she did not know the person in question but advised the man to get in touch with her parents who may be of help to him.
The stranger walked together with the girl for a while and on their way, he branched to a nearby house where nobody was around and called the girl to come and look at something.
When the girl got there, he drew a knife and told her that he was going to rape her and warned her that he would kill her if she resisted. He, therefore, covered the innocent girl’s mouth, tied her hands and pinned her down and defiled her.
A content analysis of some newspapers show an increasing spate of reported cases of defilement in parts of the country. No day goes by in this country without any defilement or rape case either being reported in the media, at the law courts or police service.
Statistics from the Greater Accra office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service indicate that sexual offence cases recorded by the unit in the region, increased from 4,904 in 2008 to 5,709 last year.
The breakdown is 552 cases of defilement, 161 cases of rape, 59 cases of indecent assault and 15 cases of incest recorded in 2008. In 2009, the unit recorded 492 cases of defilement, 170 cases of rape, 64 cases of indecent assault and 14 cases of incest and most of these offences were committed by strangers, tenants, neighbours and close relations of the victims.
Some of the cases are so pathetic that one wonders whether the future of women to-be, will be worth what is being fought for now. Some of the suspects and perpetrators are above 60 years while some victims are minors less than one year old.
Can one imagine these stories, all published in the Friday January 22 issue of the Ghanaian Times. One story said “a 25-year-old shoemaker has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment by a Kumasi Circuit Court for raping a porter”, another said “a 20-year-old carpenter at the Sokoban Wood Village has been sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment by a Circuit Court in Kumasi for defiling an eight-year-old girl”.
Another story stated that “three persons, an adult and two juveniles, who allegedly gang-raped a 14-year-old girl, were on Tuesday put before a circuit court in Cape Coast on charges of defilement”, while another said “ the Juaso Circuit Court has remanded a 20-year-old photographer in prison custody for defiling a six-year-old girl”.
The Greater Accra Regional Public Relations Officer of DOVVSU, Chief Inspector Irene Oppong, defines defilement as the act of having sexual intercourse with a child below the age of 16.
Many are the children who are defiled each day but do not have the courage to disclose their plight. Majority of such victims are children who live in compound houses and newly created suburbs or vicinities, where only few people have put up buildings.
Other groups of victims are children who seem to have no parental or guardian control. Most men who abuse these minors sexually have often been successful in deceiving their victims with threats of death, should they disclose to anybody, while others give their victims confectioneries or meagre sums to prevent them from disclosing their ordeal to anybody.
These acts leave the victims with serious physical injuries, disabilities, emotional and mental problems and sometimes lead to death.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) adopted 20 years ago and Ghana’s Children's Act, 1998 (Act 560) stresses that the dignity and rights of every child are to be respected in every circumstance. The Act has served as a working tool for Ghana and has been translated into six major local languages.
So many of the cases are tried in courts and the culprits convicted when they are found guilty but the increasing spate of reported cases of rape and defilement, is outrageous and there is still more to be done to deal with the situation.
A Ghana News Agency health news on May 5, 2009 said Dr Peter Baffoe, a gynaecologist at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, has expressed concern at the spate of rape and defilement cases in the country and said if pragmatic measures were not taken to deal with the problem immediately it would become worse.
The doctor explained that there were several and serious health implications for victims of rape and defilement. He mentioned HIV and AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases that could be transmitted to the victims of rape and noted that some girls who were raped or defiled sometimes refused to take male partners for marriage due to the trauma they underwent as victims in their earlier life.
The doctor said rape and defilement in some instances could lead to infertility in women and called for the enforcement of the law to deal drastically with anybody who indulged in rape, to serve as a deterrent. He indicated that there were a lot of instances where rape and defilement cases were not given serious attention by the courts and said this often discouraged people from reporting their cases to the police.
Chief Inspector Oppong called for maximum co-operation, in terms of reporting, between the public and the police. She said most sexual offences need witnesses and it is difficult for justice to be done when there are no witnesses.
The PRO, who gave some security tips to parents, children and the general public, advised girls and women not to walk alone in the night or even during the day in secluded areas, not to follow people to secluded area or attend to strangers.
She also advised them not to accept gifts from men, desist from watching television in people’s rooms and avoid sitting on the beds of people they visit and also wear tight trousers when going out.
She said parents should also give their daughters security tips constantly and ensure that an elderly person always accompanies drivers who pick their children from school and also avoid leaving their daughters in the care of houseboys, male friends, neighbours and associates.
She said family members, family heads or clans of victims of sexual assault should consider the hazards the victims were likely to undergo in the future and desist from settling such cases out of court.
Much as the police and the courts are expected to see to speedily facilitate the processes in dealing with rape and defilement cases, parents also need to take proper care of their children, refrain from sending their children during odd times and report defilement and rape cases to the Unit.
The problem needs the support of all to battle it out though it is expected demands must be put on the police to deliver to expectation, it is also expected that parents and guardians, the media and the general public as a whole must play their role in the process.
Zero tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation
Article: Salome Donkor
Today is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The occasion is a UN-sponsored awareness day that takes place on February 6 each year, as part of efforts to make the world aware of female genital cutting and to promote its eradication.
The late Mrs Stella Obasanjo, the then First Lady of Nigeria, made the official declaration on "Zero Tolerance for FGM" in Africa during a conference organised by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) on February 6, 2003. Then the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights adopted this day as an international awareness day.
The term "female genital mutilation" (also called "female genital cutting" and "female genital mutilation/cutting") refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organ for non-medical reasons. Female genital mutilation has no known health benefits. On the contrary, it is known to be harmful to girls and women in many ways.
An estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women world-wide have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and more than three million girls are at risk of being cutting each year on the African continent alone.
Sources from the Population Reference Bureau on the prevalence of FGM/C among younger and older women indicate that in Somalia 99 per cent of women aged 35-39 and 97 per cent of women aged from 15-19, have gone through the practice, in Gambia, 80 per cent of women aged 35-39 and 88 per cent of women aged 15-19 have gone through the practice, while in Kenya 40 per cent of women aged between 35-39 and 20 per cent of women aged from 15-19 have gone through the practice. In Ghana, as of 2006 3.8 per cent of women aged from 15-49, 1.4 per cent aged 15-19 and 5.7 per cent aged 35-39, have gone through FGM/C.
FGM or cutting is practised in at least 28 countries in Africa and a few others in Asia and the Middle East. Among the countries where the practice is most prevalent is Guinea , where FGM/C has been inflicted on 99 per cent of women there. There are also reports from Europe, North America and Australia, indicating that the practice takes place among immigrant communities.
It is generally performed on girls between ages four and 12, although it is practised in some cultures as early as a few days after birth or as late as just prior to marriage. Typically, traditional excisors have carried out the procedure, but recently a discouraging trend has emerged in some countries where medical professionals are increasingly performing the procedure.
FGM or cutting of the female genitalia is practised at all educational levels and in all social classes and occurs among many religious groups, although no religion mandates it. Prevalence rates vary significantly from country to country (from nearly 98 per cent in Somalia to less than 1 per cent in Uganda).
Since the early 1990s, FGM/C has gained recognition as a health and human rights issue among African governments, the international community, women’s organisations, and professional associations. Global and national efforts to end FGM/C have supported legislation targeting excisors, medical professionals, and families who perpetuate the practice, but political will and implementation remain an issue.
The practice poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls, especially for women who have undergone extreme forms of the procedure.
Forced excision inflicts pain and trauma – which is far worse when there is no anaesthesia. Lack of blade sterilisation can cause exposure to HIV/AIDS or long-term health complications.
According to a 2006 World Health Organisation (WHO) study, FGM/C can be linked to increased complications in childbirth and even maternal deaths. Other side effects include severe pain, haemorrhage, tetanus, infection, infertility, cysts and abscesses, urinary incontinence, and psychological and sexual problems.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working closely with its partners around the world in the campaign for the abandonment of FGM/C everywhere within a generation. The organisation does this by raising awareness and enhancing capacities at various levels of society and in the government.
UNICEF’s approach recognises that all children are entitled to protection – as laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF draws attention to the duties of governments, families, communities and individuals to respect those rights and supports them in doing so. In addition, children and adolescents themselves can play an active role in their own protection and as advocates for the protection of others.
The organisation identifies eight key aspects of a proactive environment against the practice, namely: Attitudes, traditions, customs, behaviour and practices, governmental commitment to fulfil and protect girls’’ rights, open discussion and engagement with child protection issues, protective legislation and enforcement, the capacity to protect and develop children’s life skills, knowledge and participation, monitoring and reporting of child protection issues, and services for recovery and reintegration.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa explicitly recognize that practices harmful to women such as FGM are violations of human rights.
Many governments in Africa and elsewhere have taken steps to eliminate the practice of FGM in their countries. These steps include laws criminalizing FGM, education and outreach programs, and the use of civil remedies and administrative regulations to prevent the practice. Eighteen countries— Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Togo—have enacted laws criminalizing FGM. The penalties range from a minimum of three months to a maximum of life in prison. Several countries also impose monetary fines.
In Ghana, actions towards ending FGM are in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and on the Rights of Women in Africa. In this vein, some women were arrested and prosecuted at the law courts for violating a ban against the traditional practice of cutting the genitals of young girls, which had been described as an ''outmoded custom.''
FGM is a violation of the rights of women and girls and the medical, social, psycho-sexual and economic consequences of the practice should make all to resolve not to allow it to continue under the guise of tradition or religion.
The WHO is committed to the elimination of female genital mutilation within a generation and is focussing on advocacy, research and guidance for health professionals and health systems. This is a call to all states, international and national organisations, civil society and communities to uphold the rights of girls and women.
It also calls on those bodies and communities to develop, strengthen and support specific and concrete actions directed towards ending female genital mutilation. Without any one of these elements, children are more vulnerable to abuse, violence, discrimination and violation of their rights.
Today is International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation. The occasion is a UN-sponsored awareness day that takes place on February 6 each year, as part of efforts to make the world aware of female genital cutting and to promote its eradication.
The late Mrs Stella Obasanjo, the then First Lady of Nigeria, made the official declaration on "Zero Tolerance for FGM" in Africa during a conference organised by the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC) on February 6, 2003. Then the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights adopted this day as an international awareness day.
The term "female genital mutilation" (also called "female genital cutting" and "female genital mutilation/cutting") refers to all procedures involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organ for non-medical reasons. Female genital mutilation has no known health benefits. On the contrary, it is known to be harmful to girls and women in many ways.
An estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women world-wide have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and more than three million girls are at risk of being cutting each year on the African continent alone.
Sources from the Population Reference Bureau on the prevalence of FGM/C among younger and older women indicate that in Somalia 99 per cent of women aged 35-39 and 97 per cent of women aged from 15-19, have gone through the practice, in Gambia, 80 per cent of women aged 35-39 and 88 per cent of women aged 15-19 have gone through the practice, while in Kenya 40 per cent of women aged between 35-39 and 20 per cent of women aged from 15-19 have gone through the practice. In Ghana, as of 2006 3.8 per cent of women aged from 15-49, 1.4 per cent aged 15-19 and 5.7 per cent aged 35-39, have gone through FGM/C.
FGM or cutting is practised in at least 28 countries in Africa and a few others in Asia and the Middle East. Among the countries where the practice is most prevalent is Guinea , where FGM/C has been inflicted on 99 per cent of women there. There are also reports from Europe, North America and Australia, indicating that the practice takes place among immigrant communities.
It is generally performed on girls between ages four and 12, although it is practised in some cultures as early as a few days after birth or as late as just prior to marriage. Typically, traditional excisors have carried out the procedure, but recently a discouraging trend has emerged in some countries where medical professionals are increasingly performing the procedure.
FGM or cutting of the female genitalia is practised at all educational levels and in all social classes and occurs among many religious groups, although no religion mandates it. Prevalence rates vary significantly from country to country (from nearly 98 per cent in Somalia to less than 1 per cent in Uganda).
Since the early 1990s, FGM/C has gained recognition as a health and human rights issue among African governments, the international community, women’s organisations, and professional associations. Global and national efforts to end FGM/C have supported legislation targeting excisors, medical professionals, and families who perpetuate the practice, but political will and implementation remain an issue.
The practice poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls, especially for women who have undergone extreme forms of the procedure.
Forced excision inflicts pain and trauma – which is far worse when there is no anaesthesia. Lack of blade sterilisation can cause exposure to HIV/AIDS or long-term health complications.
According to a 2006 World Health Organisation (WHO) study, FGM/C can be linked to increased complications in childbirth and even maternal deaths. Other side effects include severe pain, haemorrhage, tetanus, infection, infertility, cysts and abscesses, urinary incontinence, and psychological and sexual problems.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is working closely with its partners around the world in the campaign for the abandonment of FGM/C everywhere within a generation. The organisation does this by raising awareness and enhancing capacities at various levels of society and in the government.
UNICEF’s approach recognises that all children are entitled to protection – as laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. UNICEF draws attention to the duties of governments, families, communities and individuals to respect those rights and supports them in doing so. In addition, children and adolescents themselves can play an active role in their own protection and as advocates for the protection of others.
The organisation identifies eight key aspects of a proactive environment against the practice, namely: Attitudes, traditions, customs, behaviour and practices, governmental commitment to fulfil and protect girls’’ rights, open discussion and engagement with child protection issues, protective legislation and enforcement, the capacity to protect and develop children’s life skills, knowledge and participation, monitoring and reporting of child protection issues, and services for recovery and reintegration.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Protocol to the African Charter on Human and People's Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa explicitly recognize that practices harmful to women such as FGM are violations of human rights.
Many governments in Africa and elsewhere have taken steps to eliminate the practice of FGM in their countries. These steps include laws criminalizing FGM, education and outreach programs, and the use of civil remedies and administrative regulations to prevent the practice. Eighteen countries— Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, and Togo—have enacted laws criminalizing FGM. The penalties range from a minimum of three months to a maximum of life in prison. Several countries also impose monetary fines.
In Ghana, actions towards ending FGM are in accordance with Article 5 of the Protocol of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and on the Rights of Women in Africa. In this vein, some women were arrested and prosecuted at the law courts for violating a ban against the traditional practice of cutting the genitals of young girls, which had been described as an ''outmoded custom.''
FGM is a violation of the rights of women and girls and the medical, social, psycho-sexual and economic consequences of the practice should make all to resolve not to allow it to continue under the guise of tradition or religion.
The WHO is committed to the elimination of female genital mutilation within a generation and is focussing on advocacy, research and guidance for health professionals and health systems. This is a call to all states, international and national organisations, civil society and communities to uphold the rights of girls and women.
It also calls on those bodies and communities to develop, strengthen and support specific and concrete actions directed towards ending female genital mutilation. Without any one of these elements, children are more vulnerable to abuse, violence, discrimination and violation of their rights.
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