The Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has pledged to provide free legal services for persons who become victims of any form of gender-based violence in the country.
Speaking at a Symposium to kick-start this year’s 16-Day Gender-Based Violence Activism in Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, the Ashanti Sub-Regional Director of CHRAJ, Samuel Asante-Yeboah indicated that the Commission frowns upon any form of gender-based violence whether it is sexual harassment at home, at the workplace or any other public place.
According to Mr Asante-Yeboah, the Commission is committed to providing such service to victims of any form of gender-based violence either directly from its legal personnel across the country or contract the service of the Legal Aid Commission and the Ghana Bar Association.
Reacting to the high cost of legal services in the country, Mr Asante-Yeboah argued that the cost of legal services in any way must not serve as a barrier for victims of gender-based violence to make formal complaints against their perpetrators.
“When the case is reported to us, the complainants don’t have to worry about the cost of legal services. Even if we don’t have the lawyers, we fall on Legal Aid to provide pro bono services. We can also fall on the Ghana Bar Association for pro bono legal services. It is incumbent of every lawyer to provide free legal services every year.”
Samuel Asante-Yeboah
Victims Of Gender-Based Violence Urged To Report Incidence Of Abuse
Moreover, the Ashanti Sub-Regional Director of the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Samuel Asante-Yeboah urged the general public particularly young girls and women to report every incident of abuse they encounter to the appropriate authorities for the law to punish such offenders.
Meanwhile, AngloGold Ashanti’s Social and Gender Superintendent, Nana Yaa Kyei, asserted that the company’s strong opposition to gender-based violence, particularly sexual harassment, drives its annual campaign to raise public awareness of such practices among residents of its catchment communities to eradicate the issue from society.
Madam Nana Yaa Kyei further emphasized the AngloGold Ashanti commitment to embark on programmes and initiatives that drive the empowerment of women and young girls within the Obuasi Municipality and its surrounding communities is to improve upon the livelihood of such people.
She stated that according to research poor socio-economic circumstances are major contributory factors in gender-based violence, hence the commitment of the AngloGold Ashanti to empower young girls and women within the area through training programs that offer them skills to not become victims of gender-based violence due to poor socio-economic circumstances.
“Not only does AngloGold Ashanti seek to create a safe environment for its employees, but the Mine is also aware of its duty towards communities in which we operate. At AngloGold Ashanti, our community investment commitment programmes support the empowerment of women and girls”
Nana Yaa Kyei
The Annual 16-Day Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is a global awareness campaign against the social problem of violence against individuals based on one’s gender.
The 16-Day campaign in the Obuasi Municipality was organized and funded by AngloGold Ashanti which was under the theme ‘Unite, Invest to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls’.
The campaign began with a symposium that included schoolchildren, female traditional leaders from the Adansi Traditional Area, members of religious groups, and identified women groups where the various individuals utilized placards to make a statement against gender-based violence in Ghanaian societies.
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