The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has launched a 16-day campaign against gender-based violence, especially against women and young girls with a commitment to bringing justice to victims by prosecuting offenders.

The 16-day campaign is scheduled to start from 25 November 2017 and end on 10 December 2017 with activities across the country.

Speaking at the launch under the theme: “Leave No One Behind and Violence Against Women and Girls” in Accra on Friday, 24 November 2017, sector minister, Otiko Afisa Djaba, said the ministry is committed to ensuring that perpetrators of especially rape and defilement are named, shamed and made to face the full rigours of the law.

“We are going to embark on town hall meetings, community durbars, interactions with the traditional rulers, faith-based organisations and community-based organisations. This is going to be a grassroots programme, it will be a bottom-up approach.

“The ministry will also intensify its policy implementation to bridge the gap between the policies, implementations and the practice. We must bring the laws to our people in a language that they can understand. So, from next year, we will work with various stakeholders to see how we can turn these policies into voice in the various dialects…when we put it in a voice in your dialect, you have no excuse …

“Ghanaians are saying violence against anybody is unacceptable and that is why the reporting has increased. I appreciate all the media persons and people on social media who have been very vociferous about voicing issues of violence. We will commit resources and we will intensify policy implementation and ensure also to work with the Ministry of Justice that perpetrators, especially of rape and defilement, are named and shamed and made to face the strong arm of the law.”