Accra, July 11, GNA - A documentary on gender and domestic violence was on Tuesday launched in Accra to facilitate social change and bring to the fore different perspectives and experiences affecting women's rights.

The video produced in English, Ga, Twi and Dagbani captured strategies to address the menace, realities of victims, deeds of perpetrators and other mechanisms to facilitate the passage of the Domestic Violence Bill.

The documentary dubbed "Real Men" was initiated by the Foundation of Female Photojournalists (FFP) with over 20,000 euros funding from the French Embassy.

Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, in a speech read on her behalf, said the Government remained committed to curb the perpetration of the phenomenon and had therefore taken initiatives to empower women and children to protect their rights. She said it was, therefore, worth noting that such a documentary had come out to further provide specific information on particular services provided by nongovernmental organisation (NGOs), to assist victims of gender violence.

Hajia Mahama said the Ministry had organized sensitisation programmers on the Bill for the Parliamentary Select Committee on Gender and Children, as well as the Constitutional and Legal Affairs Committees in Parliament to debate issues pertaining to domestic violence.

She said the scripts of the documentary should be made available to the nation at large in order to generate discussions that would enhance public education and understanding on gender issues.

The Minister commended the French Embassy and the African Women's Development Fund for supporting the project and appealed to other corporate institutions and individuals to sponsor more community previews to make Ghana a violence-free state.

Mr Pierre Jacquemot, French Ambassador, said the fight for gender equity and women promotion remained high on the agenda of the French Government. It had, therefore, supported projects of women cooperatives and other capacity building programmes for female organizations in Ghana.

He commended Ghana for a healthy debate on the Bill saying: "There is certainly no real democracy without debate; and Ghana's democracy is proving on a daily basis how lively it is."

The Ambassador commended the stakeholders for a good work done, and expressed the hope that the documentary would be broadcast on the national television GTV to achieve its desired impact.

Ms Mardey Owui Ofoe, Executive Director of FFP, said domestic and other forms of gender violence still persisted in the country and had become a menace worsened by culture of silence.

She said it was unfortunate for the women and girls to suffer psychologically, economically, socially or physically at the expense of their aggressive and violent partners under the disguise of relationships.

Ms Ofoe said the video was expected to motivate viewers to support initiatives that would assist victims of gender violence and the quest to build a society of equal rights to all.