By Antoinette Abbah
Communication Specialist and Gender Advocate, Mercy Catherine Adjabeng, has reiterated the need to scrap medical fees paid by victims of rape and defilement. The fees she said prevents many victims from seeking justice. Mrs. Adjabeng who said this at the launch of this year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence in Accra said there is the need for the country to have a proper policy coordination from reporting of rape to Medical Examination.
“Rape victims have to fight paying for their medical bills. That thing should be removed. We need to have proper policy coordination. There is no proper policy coordination so that Doctors, Police and victims can coordinate for smooth prosecution”.
Mrs. Adjabeng said the absence of a substantive Gender Minister does not augur well for the Ministry. She therefore appealed to the government to as a matter of urgency do something about it.
”Ghana does not have a national shelter for victims of domestic violence”, she noted.
According to Mrs. Adjabeng, this makes victims go back to their abusers thus influencing the case.
“Several studies have also indicated that economic dependency generated by poverty is a significant factor for understanding gendered violence and designing policy and practical responses. A lot of the times people get into trouble they cannot leave the abusive situation because once they leave they begin to think of where to go and where their next meal would come from”, she posited.
The Executive Director of Women’s Initiative for Self Empowerment, WISE Ghana, Adwoa Bame, called on all to stand up for their human rights and not ignore the plight of women suffering from violence. She urged the media to dedicate airtime to talk about violence against women to help reduce incidents of violence.
“We are humans and we have rights. If you as a media cannot do anything, you can at least talk to survivors so that others will be enlightened and have the courage to report”.
As part of activities to mark 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence, WISE Ghana will hold a durbar with the Queen mothers of Kwabenya on the 29th of November, Fun Day with the Autism Center at Haatso on the 3rd of December and on the 10th of December,2021, a sensitization programme will be convened for the All Saints Lutheran Church at Anyaa in Accra.
