Let’s flip narrative on sexual and gender based violence – Oxfam Ghana

Gender Advisor at Oxfam Ghana, Thelma Hayford, is advocating for a change in the approach to tackling issues related to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), approximately 94% of children between the ages of one and fourteen in Ghana have experienced one form of gender-based violence, while over 48% of Ghanaian women and girls have been sexually abused.

Speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” being spearheaded by the United Nations, Thelma Hayford highlighted the need for the inclusion of boys and men in the campaign.

She explained that activism on such issues over the years has solely focused on women and girls, neglecting the diverse forms of abuse that men or boys also encounter.

“Let’s flip the script; we know that women and girls are the victims of SGBV, per the reports we receive, but also men experience this too. Over the years, we’ve seen an increase in sodomy and abuse of our boy child.”

“So let’s change the narrative and engage men as well to disabuse their minds of all the cultural norms and social norms that tend to enforce abusing their partners, wives, or sisters. We need to let them know that the laws work and the perpetrators have to stop. We need to bring more men on board to help us create this awareness,” she stated.

The United Nations, since 2008, annually embarks on the UNITE campaign, which runs parallel to the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence from 25th November (International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) until 10th December, Human Rights Day.

The year’s theme is dubbed “Invest to prevent violence against women and girls,” forming part of efforts to end violence against women by the year 2030.

Touching on the openness of women in sharing their experiences and encounters of SGBV, she revealed that although the levels of reporting are improving, “the constraints still exist because of the fear of backlash, the lack of safe spaces for women and girls to voice their experiences.”

Thelma Hayford further tasked the government to prioritize gender-related matters through its budgetary allocations.

“The way we see it is how the government of the day is ready to rally for the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection, among others, and also the allocation of budgets, and that’s how we see the heart of the government,” she added.

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