Adolescent girls and young women in the Chereponi District of Ghana are now more aware of their rights and the appropriate channels to report Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV).
This development follows the successful hosting of a Girls Conference by Chereponi Youth Connect (CYC) as part of the “Chereponi Resilient” initiative, under the broader Power to You(th) Ghana programme.
The Girls Conference, funded by Power to You(th) Ghana, aimed to educate young people about SGBV and empower them with knowledge on how to report such incidents. The event brought together female students, women’s groups, community leaders, and youth for open discussions about SGBV, emphasizing the importance of awareness and proactive reporting.
Addressing the attendees, Convener of CYC, Sananus Zakari highlighted the importance of identifying different forms of SGBV, understanding the emotional and physical impacts of abuse, and seeking help through established reporting structures.
Participants were introduced to key institutions and organizations offering support, including the Social Welfare Department, the Ghana Police Service, health facilities, and legal aid services.
A participant, 17-year-old Fusheini Firdows, shared her thoughts after the event: “Before this conference, I didn’t know where to go if I or someone I know faced abuse. Now I understand my rights and where to seek help.”
Chereponi Youth Connect is a non-partisan platform dedicated to integrating and connecting the youth base of Chereponi. Through the Chereponi Resilient project, CYC seeks to build a more resilient community by equipping its members with the knowledge and tools to prevent and respond to SGBV, ultimately creating a safer environment for all.
The Power to You(th) programme, implemented in Ghana by a consortium including Norsaac (Lead Partner), GH SRHR Alliance, and Songtaba, focuses on empowering young people, especially girls and young women, to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health and rights. The programme addresses issues such as SGBV, child marriage, and teenage pregnancy, aiming to create an enabling environment for youth to thrive.
The Girl’s Conference is part of a series of activities under the Chereponi Resilient initiative, which includes community dialogue sessions, male engagement forums, community mobilization campaigns, radio engagements, and capacity-building workshops for community leaders, women’s groups, and selected students.
These efforts are designed to foster community involvement in the fight against SGBV and ensure the sustainability of interventions.
Through these initiatives, adolescent girls and young women in Chereponi are becoming more informed about their rights and the mechanisms available to protect them, marking a significant step towards combating SGBV in the region.
Story by Edward Ken-Zorre
