Mrs Lordina Dramani Mahama, the First Lady, has called for a firm stance against violence against women."The time has come for Ghanaians to take a firm stand against acts of violence, especially against our women," she said.This was contained in a statement by the First Lady, on the occasion of this year's International Women's Day celebration under the theme, "A Promise is a Promise: Time For Action to end Violence against Women." She said despite the efforts of government and various civil society organizations towards uplifting the image of women in Ghana, "the abuse and attacks, various forms of violations on our girls and women have not diminished." Mrs Dramani Mahama said "these things happen daily in our homes, with people looking on unconcerned, while there is sometimes communal complicity to prevent punishment for offenders." She appealed to Ghanaians to commemorate the day, recognizing the achievements of women towards national and social progress and also realizing that there were still challenges to be tackled as a nation. The First Lady said she was confident the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, would rise to the occasion, work with the other relevant agencies and civil society organizations, not only to raise public awareness on these issues, "but also strive towards the implementation of our laws for the protection of girls and women".