Ghana's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hannah Tetteh has condemned African Union (AU) peacekeepers allegedly perpetrating brutalities against women and girls across conflict zones on the continent.

Minister Tetteh said such behaviour is despicable and must be duly condemned.

The minister was delivering a keynote address at a flag-raising ceremony at the Banquet Hall of the State House on Wednesday in Accra to commemorate the 53rd anniversary of the formation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) which transformed into AU in 2002.

The theme for this year’s celebration was: “Africa’s Year Of Human Rights” with a particular focus on women’s rights.

Hannah Tetteh urged African leaders to be passionate about upholding the rights of women on the continent and ensure that the wrongs that were perpetrated against them were not repeated.

She commended the Ghanaian peacekeeping officers for maintaining a high standard of performance in their international assignments encouraging them to the keep the morale and show respect for women and girls’ rights on their missions.

“If there is any country whose forces will be associated with misconduct especially as related to the treatment of women and girls in countries where there are peacekeeping operations, they should not be the security outfit of Ghana,” she charged.

On her part, the Zimbabwean High Commissioner to Ghana who doubles as the Dean of Diplomatic Corps bemoaned that in spite of the numerous achievements in women’s empowerment on the African continent, African women continue to face dire challenges in their participation in politics and public life.

According to her, the African girl child continues to struggle to gain access to education.

On the political front, she commended the AU for its efforts to maintain “peace” and “security” throughout the African continent, saying “for, without peace and security, there can be no economic development.”

However, she indicated that political conflicts, terrorism and other forms of violence, remain a cause of concern for the continent’s transformation agenda.