An official in the energy sector says players in the sector are working around the clock to stabilise the energy situation in the country.
According to him, the current load shedding between 350 and 400 megawatts (MW) was caused by erratic gas supply from Nigeria and the shutdown of some machines for regular maintenance works.
The Chief Executive of the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo), Mr William Amuna, said this in an interview with the Daily Graphic in response to the intermittent power outages in some parts of the country during the weekend.
He said officials in the sector were also hopeful that gas from Atuabo would come on stream as soon as possible to power thermal generators, including the Aboadze Thermal Plant.
“We expect Atuabo Gas to come on stream any moment from now and we are trying to get more generators to stabilise the situation,” he said.
Erratic situation
Although the country is already undergoing load shedding, the situation worsened during the weekend when some parts of the country had erratic blackouts.
The situation caused irritated residents of some suburbs of Accra to go on the rampage, blocking roads and destroying property owned by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) over the persistent power cuts in their vicinities.
Residents of Lapaz-Tabora blocked roads and destroyed property at the Kwashieman Power Station of the ECG.
They reportedly destroyed a polytank and also nearly assaulted the security man at the station.
At Odorkor, there were reports of angry residents hitting the road in protest against the persistent power cuts. They were said to have blocked the major Kaneshie–Odorkor road.
According to Mr Amuna, the country needed about 120 million standard cubic feet (scf) of gas to power the generators to produce the power. However, currently the volumes had dwindled, leading to the shutdown of some machines.
He also indicated that some of the machines were down for regular scheduled maintenance works and were expected to come on stream very soon to give additional megawatts.
Touching on the erratic power situation, Mr Amuna said the erratic gas supply from Nigeria took officials by surprise during the weekend.
He said a reserve plant, the Mines Reserve Plant (MRP), of about 74MW went down suddenly, translating to the loss of 74MW due to the low supply of gas.
“When there is too much demand for power and the supply is not enough, we have to shed load to match the supply and demand.
“If there is a sudden shortfall in the supply and the ECG has not got the time to knock off some areas, we have to select some areas we have control over and knock them or the whole system will collapse,” he explained.
ECG apologises
The Public Relations Officer of the ECG, Mr William Boateng, apologised for the inconvenience caused by the erratic power outages.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, he said the ECG could only supply power to consumers based on what was given to it by the producers and transmitters.
“We can only distribute what we have at a particular time, but we are usually blamed for power outages because we are the face of the power industry,” he said.
He said the company shared the sentiments of consumers, saying, “It is an unfortunate situation and the people have every right to be angry.”
He explained that the initial quantum which was being shed was between 300 and 350MW, adding, however, that during the weekend GRIDCo switched off its machines, causing the blackout in some areas.
Based on the 300-350MW deficit, he said, the country was undergoing a 12-hour load-shedding programme, and pointed out that the erratic power from the transmitters made it difficult for the ECG to predict a blackout.
However, he said, the various stakeholders were working to ensure that the situation was resolved.
Energy situation in Ghana
In the past 15 years, about 1,000MW of thermal generation capacity has been added, resulting in Ghana’s current generation capacity of 2,125MW.
The Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Plant supplies about 1,020MW of energy, followed by the Bui Dam, which produces 400MW, with the Aboadze Thermal Plant producing 360MW and the Takoradi Thermal Plant, 330MW.
Kpong produces 160MW, while the country’s first solar plant at Punga in the Upper East Region produces 2MW, giving the country 2,272 MW of combined electricity supply.
Thermal power plants to produce 500MW have been installed and inaugurated in Tema at various times. Some of them are public projects, but most of the capacity is private (Sunon Asogli - 200MW) or semi-private (CENIT - 126 MW).
Sunday 30 November 2014
24-hour blackouts considered as power crisis deepens, October 17, 2014 Daily Graphic Pg 1
THE Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) intends to introduce a new schedule of load-shedding timetable to enable consumers to plan their activities to efficiently use power.
This follows the shortfalls that have been experienced in energy generation and distribution of late.
Under the proposed arrangement, the ECG will shut down power supply to specific areas for 24 hours, while other areas will have power for 24 hours.
However, officials of the ECG said the new load-shedding timetable would be implemented only if the current situation continued.
A crisis meeting of stakeholders was held yesterday to review the power supply situation in order for the management of the sector to firm up its decision to implement the proposed timetable regime.
The Public Relations Officer of the ECG, Mr William Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that the country was currently dealing with a power generation shortfall of between 550 and 600 megawatts (MW).
The shortfall, he said, represented about a third of the entire 2,000 MW of power generated for distribution.
Individuals and businesses are currently faced with challenges associated with intermittent power supply.
Some areas in the country have experienced power outage for close to two days, while others have only two hours of power.
The situation has compelled some businesses to close down.
“Worsening situation”
According to Mr Boateng, the ECG could no longer operate with the initial load-shedding timetable which was designed to shed between 300 and 400 MW of power.
Describing the situation as “worsening”, he said the ECG was also having its fair share of the situation, which sometimes led to the shutdown of its transmissions, citing the incident which happened at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
“The more the situation worsens at the generation points, the more it translates into less distribution of power,” he said.
Mr Boateng indicated that the energy crisis in the country had always been a generation problem, not distribution, which was the mandate of the ECG.
Challenges
For their part, officials of the Volta River Authority (VRA), attributed the current challenges to the drop in the water level at the Akosombo generation plant, unreliable gas supply to thermal plants from the West African Gas Pipeline Company and regular maintenance schedules.
The Public Relations Officer of the VRA, Mr Samuel Fletcher, explained that the Aboadze Thermal Plant, which supplied 400 MW, had been shut down for maintenance.
“Another machine at the Akosombo Dam has been shut down due to the low level of the water,” he said, adding that gas supply from Nigeria was 49.7 million standard cubic feet as of October, 15, 2014, a figure which varied from day to day.
He was, however, optimistic that the situation would improve significantly very soon because the maintenance works had been completed for testing.
Mr Fletcher said the energy situation would improve when ongoing projects such as the Kpone Tema Power Plant which would produce 110MW were completed in 2015.
Energy situation in Ghana
In the past 15 years, about 1,000 MW of thermal generation capacity has been added, resulting in Ghana’s current generation capacity of 2,125 MW.
The Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Plant supplies about 1,020 MW of energy, followed by the Bui Dam, which produces 400 MW, with the Aboadze Thermal Plant producing 360 MW and the Takoradi Thermal Plant, 330 MW.
Kpong produces 160 MW, while the country’s first solar plant at Punga in the Upper East Region produces 2 MW, giving the country 2,272 MW of combined electricity supply.
Thermal power plants to produce 500 MW have been installed and inaugurated in Tema at various times. Some of them are public projects, but most of the capacity is private (Sunon Asogli — 200 MW) or semi-private (CENIT — 126 MW).
Several thermal generation projects, totalling over 1,000 MW, are currently at various stages of development by both public and private operators.
These projects include Kpone (Alstom), Sunon Asogli Expansion, Takoradi 2 combined-cycle expansion, CENIT/TT1PP expansion and Takoradi 3 expansion.
The country still faces unreliable and inadequate power supply, despite the generation capacity made up of about 50 per cent hydro and 50 per cent thermal.
This follows the shortfalls that have been experienced in energy generation and distribution of late.
Under the proposed arrangement, the ECG will shut down power supply to specific areas for 24 hours, while other areas will have power for 24 hours.
However, officials of the ECG said the new load-shedding timetable would be implemented only if the current situation continued.
A crisis meeting of stakeholders was held yesterday to review the power supply situation in order for the management of the sector to firm up its decision to implement the proposed timetable regime.
The Public Relations Officer of the ECG, Mr William Boateng, told the Daily Graphic that the country was currently dealing with a power generation shortfall of between 550 and 600 megawatts (MW).
The shortfall, he said, represented about a third of the entire 2,000 MW of power generated for distribution.
Individuals and businesses are currently faced with challenges associated with intermittent power supply.
Some areas in the country have experienced power outage for close to two days, while others have only two hours of power.
The situation has compelled some businesses to close down.
“Worsening situation”
According to Mr Boateng, the ECG could no longer operate with the initial load-shedding timetable which was designed to shed between 300 and 400 MW of power.
Describing the situation as “worsening”, he said the ECG was also having its fair share of the situation, which sometimes led to the shutdown of its transmissions, citing the incident which happened at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
“The more the situation worsens at the generation points, the more it translates into less distribution of power,” he said.
Mr Boateng indicated that the energy crisis in the country had always been a generation problem, not distribution, which was the mandate of the ECG.
Challenges
For their part, officials of the Volta River Authority (VRA), attributed the current challenges to the drop in the water level at the Akosombo generation plant, unreliable gas supply to thermal plants from the West African Gas Pipeline Company and regular maintenance schedules.
The Public Relations Officer of the VRA, Mr Samuel Fletcher, explained that the Aboadze Thermal Plant, which supplied 400 MW, had been shut down for maintenance.
“Another machine at the Akosombo Dam has been shut down due to the low level of the water,” he said, adding that gas supply from Nigeria was 49.7 million standard cubic feet as of October, 15, 2014, a figure which varied from day to day.
He was, however, optimistic that the situation would improve significantly very soon because the maintenance works had been completed for testing.
Mr Fletcher said the energy situation would improve when ongoing projects such as the Kpone Tema Power Plant which would produce 110MW were completed in 2015.
Energy situation in Ghana
In the past 15 years, about 1,000 MW of thermal generation capacity has been added, resulting in Ghana’s current generation capacity of 2,125 MW.
The Akosombo Hydroelectric Power Plant supplies about 1,020 MW of energy, followed by the Bui Dam, which produces 400 MW, with the Aboadze Thermal Plant producing 360 MW and the Takoradi Thermal Plant, 330 MW.
Kpong produces 160 MW, while the country’s first solar plant at Punga in the Upper East Region produces 2 MW, giving the country 2,272 MW of combined electricity supply.
Thermal power plants to produce 500 MW have been installed and inaugurated in Tema at various times. Some of them are public projects, but most of the capacity is private (Sunon Asogli — 200 MW) or semi-private (CENIT — 126 MW).
Several thermal generation projects, totalling over 1,000 MW, are currently at various stages of development by both public and private operators.
These projects include Kpone (Alstom), Sunon Asogli Expansion, Takoradi 2 combined-cycle expansion, CENIT/TT1PP expansion and Takoradi 3 expansion.
The country still faces unreliable and inadequate power supply, despite the generation capacity made up of about 50 per cent hydro and 50 per cent thermal.
National Diabetes Day launched in Accra November 14, 2014 Daily Graphic
The 2014 National Diabetes Day has been launched in Accra with a call on health authorities to intensify education on the disease to raise awareness of its prevention and control.
Speaking at a ceremony to launch the day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Ghana, Dr Magda Robalo, said creating awareness about Diabetes would help reduce the prevalence rate of between six and 9.7 per cent in the country.
Statistics available to the National Diabetes Association indicates that there are more than four million diabetic patients in the country aged between 34 and 64 years.
Dr Robalo said a well-structured education programmes for the public, patients and health professionals were needed in the efforts to manage the disease.
The United Nations (UN) passed a resolution to designate November 14 as World Diabetes Day in 2006.
The occasion is aimed at raising awareness of diabetes, its prevention and complications and the care that people with the condition need.
The World Diabetes Day 2014 campaign is on the theme “Healthy living and diabetes”. The launch which was organised by the National Diabetes Association with support from the Ministry of Health was attended by schoolchildren and nurses.
Diabetes is chronic disease that results in the accumulation of excess glucose sugar in the blood of an individual due to the inability of the pancreas to release adequate insulin to mop up excess glucose in the blood storage.
There are two main types of diabetes which are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin because the cells are destroyed.
Type 2 occurs when individuals system does not produce enough insulin which controls the amount of sugar in the blood, so the blood sugar level become very high.
Upsurge of diabetes
According to Dr Robalo, 14.7 million adults in the African Region suffered from diabetes which resulted in 344,000 deaths in 2011. During the same period, she said countries in the region spent nearly $2.8billion on the disease.
She further stated that modernisation and rapid urbanisation, coupled with aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, played major roles in the upsurge of diabetes in Africa and the rest of the world.
As part of the steps taken to tackle the disease, Dr Robalo said, Ghana had developed a draft national policy framework for non-communicable disease which included diabetes with support from the WHO.
Complications of diabetes
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah described diabetes as a serious chronic, debilitating and costly disease that imposed lifelong demands on the patients and their families.
He said diabetic patients suffered complications when cases remained undiagnosed and inadequate access to proper treatment and appropriate medicines, especially, the insulin.
When the complications set in, he explained, that diabetes could cause neurological and vascular complications, visual disorder, impotence, heart diseases, stroke and kidney failure among other diseases.
In her address, the President of the National Diabetes Association, Mrs Elizabeth Esi Denyoh said diabetes was high in adolescents due to poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles.
On the challenges facing the association, she said the association was financially constraint, adding that it did not receive any support from the government.
She also expressed worry about the huge taxes imposition on diabetes products, saying that the government should remove taxes imposed on diabetic products imported into the country.
Speaking at a ceremony to launch the day, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Ghana, Dr Magda Robalo, said creating awareness about Diabetes would help reduce the prevalence rate of between six and 9.7 per cent in the country.
Statistics available to the National Diabetes Association indicates that there are more than four million diabetic patients in the country aged between 34 and 64 years.
Dr Robalo said a well-structured education programmes for the public, patients and health professionals were needed in the efforts to manage the disease.
The United Nations (UN) passed a resolution to designate November 14 as World Diabetes Day in 2006.
The occasion is aimed at raising awareness of diabetes, its prevention and complications and the care that people with the condition need.
The World Diabetes Day 2014 campaign is on the theme “Healthy living and diabetes”. The launch which was organised by the National Diabetes Association with support from the Ministry of Health was attended by schoolchildren and nurses.
Diabetes is chronic disease that results in the accumulation of excess glucose sugar in the blood of an individual due to the inability of the pancreas to release adequate insulin to mop up excess glucose in the blood storage.
There are two main types of diabetes which are Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin because the cells are destroyed.
Type 2 occurs when individuals system does not produce enough insulin which controls the amount of sugar in the blood, so the blood sugar level become very high.
Upsurge of diabetes
According to Dr Robalo, 14.7 million adults in the African Region suffered from diabetes which resulted in 344,000 deaths in 2011. During the same period, she said countries in the region spent nearly $2.8billion on the disease.
She further stated that modernisation and rapid urbanisation, coupled with aggressive marketing of unhealthy foods, played major roles in the upsurge of diabetes in Africa and the rest of the world.
As part of the steps taken to tackle the disease, Dr Robalo said, Ghana had developed a draft national policy framework for non-communicable disease which included diabetes with support from the WHO.
Complications of diabetes
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah described diabetes as a serious chronic, debilitating and costly disease that imposed lifelong demands on the patients and their families.
He said diabetic patients suffered complications when cases remained undiagnosed and inadequate access to proper treatment and appropriate medicines, especially, the insulin.
When the complications set in, he explained, that diabetes could cause neurological and vascular complications, visual disorder, impotence, heart diseases, stroke and kidney failure among other diseases.
In her address, the President of the National Diabetes Association, Mrs Elizabeth Esi Denyoh said diabetes was high in adolescents due to poor nutrition and unhealthy lifestyles.
On the challenges facing the association, she said the association was financially constraint, adding that it did not receive any support from the government.
She also expressed worry about the huge taxes imposition on diabetes products, saying that the government should remove taxes imposed on diabetic products imported into the country.
Shea butter industry offers employment to African women - November 20, 2014, Daily Graphic Pg 11
SHEA butter is one of nature's wonders, and a special one at that. It has been used for millennia by many generations of African people for skincare, baby care, healing and food.
The shea butter industry employs about 10 million women in rural communities in 21 countries across Africa, contributing to the economic growth of the respective countries. In Ghana, the shea nuts are traditionally harvested mainly by women in the northern part of the country, crushed and boiled to extract the shea butter.
In the hot Sahara or Savannah, shea butter protects the skin from the sun and dehydration. What makes shea butter an extraordinary skincare product and an amazing body healer is its richness in precious constituents, which include unsaturated fats with essential fatty acids, vitamins E and D, provitamin A and allantoin. All these are natural and make shea butter a superfood for your skin (and hair).
It can also be used for wrinkles, skin protection, strengthening and regenerating, as well as an antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, deep moisturiser and for treating scars.
Cosmetic products
To promote the activities of local industries engaged in the manufacturing of shea butter and the use of other local ingredients for cosmetic-based products, the maiden edition of the Shea African Cosmetic Products exhibition has been launched in Accra.
The three-day event to be organised by Shea Network Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, is supported by Global Shea Alliance and the US Agency for International Development.
Intended to encourage Ghanaians to rediscover shea butter as a beauty-based beauty product, the event is expected to host about 40 manufacturers who use African indigenous ingredients such as the shea butter for cosmetics from across the country.
The event, scheduled for November 24-26, 2014 at the Osu Presby Hall in Accra, is to bring together cosmetics users, soap makers, shea butter collectors and processors among many others.
Benefits of shea butter
Addressing the ceremony, the Board Chairman of Shea Network Ghana, Mr Prince Obeng-Asante, said with the rich and natural content in shea butter, it was very important for Ghanaians to appreciate its benefit to promote operations of the industry.
He explained that in Ghana, 66 districts across the three Northern regions and some parts of the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions were involved in the industry, with women being the largest group involved.
With about 600,000 women collectors and butter processors at the community level, he said, Ghana produced about 100,000 metric tonnes of shea kernels annually.
He added that the shea trees covered approximately 77,670 square kilometres and provided a source of income for women collectors and their families.
He said the shea tree yields many products, including the processing of the shea kernel into shea butter, which is used for cooking, confectionery, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
"The pulp of the fruit contains proteins and carbohydrates and can be eaten during periods of food scarcity," he stated.
Challenges
Mr Obeng-Asante, however, noted that despite the economic and nutritional potential of the industry, less attention had been given to the shea butter production industry, indicating that the exhibition was to create a platform to discuss the significance of shea nut and explore the export potentials of the commodity, with support from the public and private sectors.
The Communications Manager of Global Shea Alliance, Ms Grace Perkins, said products such as traditional black soap, raw shea butter and coconut shampoo were some of the products to be exhibited.
The shea butter industry employs about 10 million women in rural communities in 21 countries across Africa, contributing to the economic growth of the respective countries. In Ghana, the shea nuts are traditionally harvested mainly by women in the northern part of the country, crushed and boiled to extract the shea butter.
In the hot Sahara or Savannah, shea butter protects the skin from the sun and dehydration. What makes shea butter an extraordinary skincare product and an amazing body healer is its richness in precious constituents, which include unsaturated fats with essential fatty acids, vitamins E and D, provitamin A and allantoin. All these are natural and make shea butter a superfood for your skin (and hair).
It can also be used for wrinkles, skin protection, strengthening and regenerating, as well as an antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory, deep moisturiser and for treating scars.
Cosmetic products
To promote the activities of local industries engaged in the manufacturing of shea butter and the use of other local ingredients for cosmetic-based products, the maiden edition of the Shea African Cosmetic Products exhibition has been launched in Accra.
The three-day event to be organised by Shea Network Ghana, a non-governmental organisation, is supported by Global Shea Alliance and the US Agency for International Development.
Intended to encourage Ghanaians to rediscover shea butter as a beauty-based beauty product, the event is expected to host about 40 manufacturers who use African indigenous ingredients such as the shea butter for cosmetics from across the country.
The event, scheduled for November 24-26, 2014 at the Osu Presby Hall in Accra, is to bring together cosmetics users, soap makers, shea butter collectors and processors among many others.
Benefits of shea butter
Addressing the ceremony, the Board Chairman of Shea Network Ghana, Mr Prince Obeng-Asante, said with the rich and natural content in shea butter, it was very important for Ghanaians to appreciate its benefit to promote operations of the industry.
He explained that in Ghana, 66 districts across the three Northern regions and some parts of the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions were involved in the industry, with women being the largest group involved.
With about 600,000 women collectors and butter processors at the community level, he said, Ghana produced about 100,000 metric tonnes of shea kernels annually.
He added that the shea trees covered approximately 77,670 square kilometres and provided a source of income for women collectors and their families.
He said the shea tree yields many products, including the processing of the shea kernel into shea butter, which is used for cooking, confectionery, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products.
"The pulp of the fruit contains proteins and carbohydrates and can be eaten during periods of food scarcity," he stated.
Challenges
Mr Obeng-Asante, however, noted that despite the economic and nutritional potential of the industry, less attention had been given to the shea butter production industry, indicating that the exhibition was to create a platform to discuss the significance of shea nut and explore the export potentials of the commodity, with support from the public and private sectors.
The Communications Manager of Global Shea Alliance, Ms Grace Perkins, said products such as traditional black soap, raw shea butter and coconut shampoo were some of the products to be exhibited.
Ghana joins global campaign against gender-based violence, November 26, 2014, Daily Graphic Pg 11
THE 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence is an international campaign that starts on November 25, which is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The celebration, which is a global campaign to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international level, ends on December 10,
Human Rights Day.
This year’s theme is “Let’s challenge militarism and end violence against women” and Ghana has adopted the sub theme “Engaging men and boys to end gender-based violence”.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence started in 1991 at Rutgers University and is a global campaign that seeks to mobilise communities worldwide to end all forms of violence perpetrated on the grounds of gender.
The campaign is an important reminder of the many opportunities that could be used to combat violence against women and gender inequality. This is in view of the fact that one in three women globally will experience sexual or physical violence in her lifetime, according to the United Nations.
During the 16 Days of Activism, Amnesty International’s focus is on ending violence against women and girls in five countries: Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Syria and Sudan, with regional actions being undertaken to mark the event.
Survivors tell story
In Ghana, records from the Accra Region Police Command, indicate that 1,466 cases of child sexual abuse were recorded in the first nine months of the year in Accra as against 1,392 cases for the whole of 2013. Women and girls suffered sexual, verbal, emotional and psychological abuse at the workplace, in schools, homes, communities and even on the street.
Traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, tribal markings, accusation of witchcraft levelled against women, Trokosi and forced marriage are some of the practices which cause physical, emotional and sexual suffering to women.
Some of the common ways of abuse is the use of belts, sticks and the hand or combination of all these to beat women which resulted in fractures, bruises, wounds and sometimes death.
A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in June 2013, also revealed that intimate partner violence was the most common type of violence affecting 30 per cent of women worldwide.
As Ghana joins the rest of the world to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in Ghana, men and boys have been urged to join the fight against gender-based violence.
Narrating her ordeal at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence in Accra on Tuesday, a middle-aged woman with four children said she was abused sexually, verbally and physically persistently by her husband after she had gone through a caesarean session.
According to her, efforts to report the husband to the police yielded no positive results as officials of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support of the Police Service (DOVVSU), did not give the case the needed attention.
In another story, the father of a seven-year old girl said his daughter was defiled by a 57-year-old man.
Another parent said a 24-year-old man who was a close friend to the family defiled her seven-year old daughter after he asked her to escort him to buy ice cream for her.
Speaking at the launch of the day, the deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Della Sowah, said gender-based violence against girls and women was a crime which should not be tolerated.
Men and boys needed
While acknowledging the fact that sometimes men were being abused by women, Mrs Sowah said women were mostly the victims of the inhuman acts of sexual abuse and gender-based violence.
According to her, the media, men and boys had major roles to play in ending sexual and gender-based violence since they had a greater voice and could serve as effective change agents.
“It is important to involve men in the campaign against sexual abuse and gender-based violence because they are mostly the perpetrators of the act and also effective change agents,” she said.
She added that men and boys should be made to understand and appreciate issues constituting gender-based violence.
She added that accusation of women as witches was a harmful practice which needed attention to stop the violation of their rights, adding that a national stakeholder’s conference to discuss the issue would be held this month.
In his welcome address, the Chief Director of the ministry, Mr Kwesi Armo-Himbson, said “perpetrators of the gender-based violence have weak minds and therefore they cannot engage in constructive decision so they go physical on the weaker one they are dealing with”.
Police demands
The Principal Nursing Officer of the Child Health Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Mrs Harriet Klufio, said the cases of sexual abuse on children were on the rise with more cases reported weekly.
She urged the police to step up investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Most of the victims are from poor socio-economic background so sometimes getting money to go for psychotherapy is a problem to the extent that, some
cannot even afford transport for free therapy”, she said.
She urged the government to resource the Department of Social Welfare to help give comprehensive treatment to children who suffered various forms of abuse, including sexual abuse.
Pull quote
“Most of the victims are from poor socio-economic background so sometimes money to go for psychotherapy is a problem to the extent that some cannot even afford transport for free therapy”
The celebration, which is a global campaign to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international level, ends on December 10,
Human Rights Day.
This year’s theme is “Let’s challenge militarism and end violence against women” and Ghana has adopted the sub theme “Engaging men and boys to end gender-based violence”.
The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence started in 1991 at Rutgers University and is a global campaign that seeks to mobilise communities worldwide to end all forms of violence perpetrated on the grounds of gender.
The campaign is an important reminder of the many opportunities that could be used to combat violence against women and gender inequality. This is in view of the fact that one in three women globally will experience sexual or physical violence in her lifetime, according to the United Nations.
During the 16 Days of Activism, Amnesty International’s focus is on ending violence against women and girls in five countries: Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Egypt, Syria and Sudan, with regional actions being undertaken to mark the event.
Survivors tell story
In Ghana, records from the Accra Region Police Command, indicate that 1,466 cases of child sexual abuse were recorded in the first nine months of the year in Accra as against 1,392 cases for the whole of 2013. Women and girls suffered sexual, verbal, emotional and psychological abuse at the workplace, in schools, homes, communities and even on the street.
Traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, tribal markings, accusation of witchcraft levelled against women, Trokosi and forced marriage are some of the practices which cause physical, emotional and sexual suffering to women.
Some of the common ways of abuse is the use of belts, sticks and the hand or combination of all these to beat women which resulted in fractures, bruises, wounds and sometimes death.
A study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in June 2013, also revealed that intimate partner violence was the most common type of violence affecting 30 per cent of women worldwide.
As Ghana joins the rest of the world to mark the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in Ghana, men and boys have been urged to join the fight against gender-based violence.
Narrating her ordeal at the launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence in Accra on Tuesday, a middle-aged woman with four children said she was abused sexually, verbally and physically persistently by her husband after she had gone through a caesarean session.
According to her, efforts to report the husband to the police yielded no positive results as officials of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support of the Police Service (DOVVSU), did not give the case the needed attention.
In another story, the father of a seven-year old girl said his daughter was defiled by a 57-year-old man.
Another parent said a 24-year-old man who was a close friend to the family defiled her seven-year old daughter after he asked her to escort him to buy ice cream for her.
Speaking at the launch of the day, the deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Della Sowah, said gender-based violence against girls and women was a crime which should not be tolerated.
Men and boys needed
While acknowledging the fact that sometimes men were being abused by women, Mrs Sowah said women were mostly the victims of the inhuman acts of sexual abuse and gender-based violence.
According to her, the media, men and boys had major roles to play in ending sexual and gender-based violence since they had a greater voice and could serve as effective change agents.
“It is important to involve men in the campaign against sexual abuse and gender-based violence because they are mostly the perpetrators of the act and also effective change agents,” she said.
She added that men and boys should be made to understand and appreciate issues constituting gender-based violence.
She added that accusation of women as witches was a harmful practice which needed attention to stop the violation of their rights, adding that a national stakeholder’s conference to discuss the issue would be held this month.
In his welcome address, the Chief Director of the ministry, Mr Kwesi Armo-Himbson, said “perpetrators of the gender-based violence have weak minds and therefore they cannot engage in constructive decision so they go physical on the weaker one they are dealing with”.
Police demands
The Principal Nursing Officer of the Child Health Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Mrs Harriet Klufio, said the cases of sexual abuse on children were on the rise with more cases reported weekly.
She urged the police to step up investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“Most of the victims are from poor socio-economic background so sometimes getting money to go for psychotherapy is a problem to the extent that, some
cannot even afford transport for free therapy”, she said.
She urged the government to resource the Department of Social Welfare to help give comprehensive treatment to children who suffered various forms of abuse, including sexual abuse.
Pull quote
“Most of the victims are from poor socio-economic background so sometimes money to go for psychotherapy is a problem to the extent that some cannot even afford transport for free therapy”
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