By Seraphine Nyuiemedi
The Volta Regional Director for the Department of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe, has expressed concern about the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence against girls in the Volta Region. She said the menace remains a threat to the development of the girls, which should be addressed to enable them to reach their full potential.
Mrs. Kpe was speaking at a forum organised by her department for adolescent girls and boys in the Ho Municipality to commemorate this year’s International Day for the Girl Child.
Statistics from the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DoVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service indicate that sexual and gender-based violence in the region has doubled from 685 in 2019 to 1058 in 2020. Though the unit is yet to publish its latest figures, the Volta Regional Director for the Department of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe, said defilement is on the ascendency, with dire implications for the personal development, sexual and reproductive systems of adolescent girls.
She said the region has over 6,000 adolescent pregnancies each year, with 24 percent resulting in child marriage.
Mrs Kpe added that six incest cases have so far been recorded in the region this year. She said girls continue to face societal challenges that impede their progression and therefore entreated all stakeholders to lend their support to enable them to surmount such setbacks.
The Volta Regional Director for the Department of Children, Israel Akrobortu, called on the government to dedicate a percentage of the District Assembly’s Common Fund to support advocacy for child protection.
Currently, the Volta Regional Department of Gender has activated a campaign dubbed: “Girls Take-Over Campaign”, which seeks to provide girls with the opportunity to take over key spaces and serve as mentors for their development. The forum was organised with support from Plan International Ghana.