Some Gender Desk Officers, (GDOs) and Market women in the Western Region have been trained on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.

The two-day training is to equip them with knowledge on Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of girls and women to effectively advocate and ensure a more effective approach to responding to such issues in the communities and Market places.

Mr Mutaru Goro Iddrisu, the Programme Analyst – Population and Development of the UNFPA, implementers of the project said advocacy, sensitization and capacity building had become cardinal over the period of implementation in the Western Region to ensure a more impactful project.

The four Districts benefiting from the project are the Nzema East, Wassa Amenfi East, Wassa East and Ahanta West.

The goal was to reach a zero-tolerance of Gender-Based Violence in communities while promoting access to family planning services.

Mr Iddrisu said the four-year project was designed to raise the consciousness of abuses and discriminatory practices and the need to court holistic societal living to end such activities.

Mr Fredrick Agyemang, the Chief Director of the Western Regional Coordinating Council and implementing partners said there was a critical need to deploy the best mechanism to tackle such issues in communities.

He charged the Officers to ensure gender mainstreaming into policies, plans and programmes across all assemblies and also provide technical backstopping to the market leaders.

The Chief Director said the training had been extended to market leaders and other districts adding, “We however could not call only four GDOs knowing well that issues on Child Marriages, Teenage Pregnancy and other discriminatory tendencies usually against girls or females were widespread in all communities. “

Mr Agyemang noted that sexual and reproductive health and rights were critical for empowering women and girls and advancing gender equality – both to realize their rights and their access to health services.

He, therefore, called for commitments of all to promote healthy societal living.

Ms Maribel Okine, the Western Regional Director of Gender said the overall objective was to train 14 Gender Desk Officers and 20 market leaders to strengthen local capacities, to advance gender equality; prevent and respond to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and other related issues.

The participants would be taken through sexual violence against women and girls, Reproductive health rights and understanding gender-based violence among others.