Dr. Mrs Delalai Sedegah, Acting Dean of Students, University for Environment and Sustainability Development, has called on stakeholders to consider creating awareness of the increasing spate of spousal murders in the country.
Ghana has recently witnessed a surge in femicide, for which the University don said, required “a resolute and comprehensive approach” to deal with.
Dr. Mrs Sedegah was a special guest speaker at a Women’s Day celebration organised by the Asogli State for this year’s Yam Festival.
This year’s celebration is also the 20th anniversary of the instalment of Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia.
Asogli Te Za, popularly known as Asogli Yam Festival is essentially a harvest festival celebrated by the Asogli State (Ho) and its surrounding areas such as Sokode, Abutia Klefe and Akrofu.
The festival is celebrated annually by the Chiefs (Togbewo, Mamawo) and the people of Asogli State in the Volta Region of Ghana. It is celebrated every September to thank God and the gods and ancestors for a bumper harvest, and as an occasion to offer prayers for good health and prosperity.
Dr Mrs Sedegah noted that one in four Ghanaian women suffered violence by an intimate partner and that the alarming rate represented growing emotional and social trauma among the Ghanaian community and needed to be deeply addressed.
“These brutal acts represent a grave violation of human rights and an alarming manifestation of gender-based violence. The consequences of these heinous acts are alarming, not only for the victims but for their families, communities and society as a whole.
The statistics surrounding these murders are staggering and deeply troubling. In many cases, these killings are driven by toxic masculinity, a sense of entitlement, and a wrapped desire to exert control over women,” she added.
Sharing recent headlines related to the occurrence, Dr Sedegah said stakeholders needed to consider what the UN called a “shadow pandemic” and seek to save the female gender from the atmosphere of fear closing in on them.
“These crimes send a chilling message to women that their lives are disposable, and their autonomy is secondary to the whims of their partners. The first step in addressing revenge killings is to raise awareness. We must acknowledge the gravity of the issue and bring it into the public consciousness.
“Silence and denial only perpetuate the cycle of violence,” she stated, calling also for effective legal systems and the “rigorous” enforcement of laws against femicide and domestic violence.”
She called also for the establishment of “robust” support systems for victims, which should include shelters, crisis hotlines, and counselling services to “provide immediate assistance and refuge to those in danger.
“There are also calls for comprehensive education programmes to help change harmful gender norms and stereotypes.
Economic, social and political empowerment was also advocated, and so was the need to enhance access to mental health care, and also the engagement of communities to help prevent the occurrences.
“Engaging communities in the prevention of these murders is essential. Communities can provide support, advocacy and a network of protection for women facing violence”.
Dr. Sedegah said, “The most critical element is the value or lack of value placed on lives of women,” and commended Togbe Afede and the Asogli State for the women’s celebration.
“We need a cultural orientation headed by progressive traditional rulers such as His Majesty’s to help stem the tide of this phenomenon. Culture and traditions are dynamic. Women should not be seen as threats to manhood but rather as an undeniable essential mate in nation building.”
The women’s day event was on the theme “Leadership, Education and Development: Rethinking Gender Roles in Leadership, Education and Development in Ghana.
The speakers included top women at the University of Health and Allied Sciences where it was held.
Also, present were executives and members of Unity Queens, a national association of queen mothers, and there was a panel discussion on the theme, while a cooking competition on yam delicacies among women of the various Asogli divisions, took place on the side.
Hundreds of students from Senior High and tertiary institutions in the Ho Municipality were in attendance and greatly appreciated the opportunity to be mentored by prized women, among them Madam Cecelia Fiaka, Founder of the award-winning child nonprofit organisation, the Nneka Foundation.