‘Let’s discourage violence against women’

THE President of the Women’s Wing of the Ghana Association of the Blind (GAB), Ms Cecilia Bartholomew has reiterated the need to discourage acts of violence against women particularly those with disabilities.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark this year's International Women’s Day celebration organised by the Women’s Wing of GAB in Accra, she said the theme for this year’s global event, “Women and Men United to End Violence Against Women and Girls” was laudable, since it focused on united efforts by both men and women to gradually eliminate violence against women and girls.
The theme also projected a united front of both men and women towards the total condemnation of all sorts of violence against women and girls, citing blind and partially- sighted women and girls as most vulnerable.
According to her, efforts to minimise these acts of violence against women and girls should be communicated to people at the grassroots through the use of drama, youth fora, community leadership programmes and peer educators among others.
Ms Bartholomew noted that acts of violence were mostly carried out by close relations, spouses and biological parents and pointed out that, such acts, be they psychological, emotional or physical tend to have long and lasting effects on the victims.
She recalled that since the inception of the Women’s wing of GAB 28 years ago, the association had made positive strides toward raising awareness on the significant roles the blind and partially -sighted women and girls could play in the society.
The Member of Parliament for Abokobi-Madina, Alhaji Amadu Sorogho cautioned the members of the association against the act of begging for alms in the street and urged them “ to believe in yourself and disabuse your minds of the misconception that society has neglected you”.
He said acts of violence against visually impaired women and girls should be discouraged and pointed out that the fact that a woman or girl could not see did not mean that she was incapable of doing anything for herself.
The MP therefore called on Ghanaians to “dismantle the barriers of discrimination which we have erected over the years against the visually impaired and embark on a war path to eradicate the stigma of psychological violence against our sisters and our mothers”.
The Deputy Managing Director of Seatec Holdings, Mrs Augustina Ekuwa Addae encouraged women and girls to live up to the challenges by offering their best wherever they found themselves, adding that they should to see themselves capable of doing things to improve on their status and that of their families.