Ms. Dorothy Onny, Director of the Gender Unit of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, has announced that Government has developed a National Action Plan to implement the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

She announced this at the opening ceremony of a two-day workshop on sexual and gender based violence and early warnings at Takoradi on Monday.

The Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs is organizing the workshop in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Stakeholders including traditional authorities, community leaders, and representatives of women groups in the region are attending the workshop.

Ms. Onny said the action plan was based on three pillars, including protection and promotion of the human rights of women and girls in situations of conflict and in Peace Support Operations.

Other factors included in the action are the participation of women in conflict prevention, Peace and Security and prevention of violence against women including sexual, gender-based and conflict related violence, she said.

Ms Onny said the workshop formed part of the efforts towards the implementation of the UN Resolution 1325 with regard to the development of protective and preventive mechanisms for conflict prevention and conflict management in the country.

She said the workshop is to sensitize the participants on issues of sexual and gender based violence and the detection of early warning signals that could lead to conflicts.

Ms Onny said these are issues that are pertinent and critical for the prevention and avoidance of the occurrence of conflicts, as well as gender based violence during the election period.

She said it is essential that specialized skills training in the detection of early warning signals to the eruption of violence are given to women, community leaders and traditional authorities.

Later, Nana Amua-Sekyi, Western Regional Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), told the workshop that a single act could amount to domestic violence.

She said the Police and civilians could arrest those who have committed offences under the Domestic Violence law, but cautioned the public against taking the law into their own hands in this instance.

Nana Amua-Sekyi said the Police arrest offenders of the Domestic Violence Law without warrant, especially when the act is committed in their presence.

She said under the law, it is sexually abuse for anybody to intentionally transmit sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS to another person.

Nana Amua-Sekyi said the consent of a minor in sexual intercourse is not considered as consent under the law.

She said holding the buttocks, breast and private parts of others without the individual’s consent, is considered sexual harassment and is an offence under the Domestic Violence Law.

Police Inspector Dwamena Akenten of the Western Regional Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), said the unit recorded 34 cases of child pregnancy from January 1 to February 23 this year.

He said the men who impregnated the girls who were aged between 13 to 15 years did not accept responsibility and the girls became burden to their parents.

Inspector Akenten said defilement and rape cases were on the increase in the region, but he did not give figures. He said rape cases involved men raping women and women raping men.**