Parents have been urged to keep reminding themselves of their significant role in raising a future generation who are conscious of the challenges of women and girls, who would respect one another, support one another and eschew violence in all its forms.

Addressing a group of women and girls on the back of International Women's Day in Ho, the Volta Regional Director of Gender, Mrs. Thywil Eyra Kpe noted that there is the need to draw close to our children, especially the girls, educate them on their sexuality, monitor their activities in the digital space, and encourage them to excel in the field of STEM in order to become useful to society.

To the traditional leaders, Mrs. Thywil Eyra Kpe noted that the role of traditional authorities in protecting the rights and welfare of women in our communities cannot be over emphasized.        

Mrs Kpe noted that most discrimination, stereotypes and violence perpetrated against women and girls are carried out under the guise of culture and tradition.

“Pressing for gender equality means we must begin to abolish or modify some of these practices that continue to subjugate women and prevent them from achieving their full potentials. We must continue to recognize the important roles that women play for the development of society and support them” Mrs. Thywill Eyra Kpe said

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Achibald Letsa  in his speech noted that International Women's Day gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the significant social, economic, cultural, and political contribution of women the world over. 

Dr Letsa noted that it is refreshing to note that over the years, women have chalked progressive achievements in our society in many fields.

He noted that women have occupied some key positions in our country including speakers of parliament, chief justices.

“As a region, we have every reason to celebrate our women because they make significant contribution to the development of both the formal and informal sectors of the region. I must add that according to the 2021 population and housing census, the Volta Region came up as the Region with the highest percentage of women 52.3% to 47.7% men. This indicated that a greater proportion of our human resources as a region are women and this we must harness for the development of the Region” Dr Letsa said

A message from STAR-Ghana Foundation stated that, it embraces Gender Equality in all its forms and firmly demonstrate its commitment to this, "through our comprehensive Gender Equality and Social Inclusion plan that guides all our operations and partnerships."

According to STAR-Ghana the event as happens every year, "aligns neatly with our Gender Rights and Empowerment Programme, a Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) commissioned project designed for three-years, to be implemented in yearly phases. It has an overall goal to contribute to increased access to rights and quality social services for women and girls."

STAR-Ghana noted that the G-REP aligns with FCDO’s focus on educating girls, empowering women and girls, and ending gender-based violence. GREP has three thematic areas.

•         Promoting women and girls’ access to education and health services

•         Preventing and responding to gender-based violence through monitoring of the implementation of the DV Act and improving access of victims/survivors to support mechanisms and access to justice

•         Supporting women’s political participation through election and appointment into public decision-making, with focus on (1) mobilizing and advocating for the passage of the Gender Equality Law (Affirmative Action) and (2) supporting women aspirants in the upcoming district assembly elections.

The expected outcomes include improved access of women and girls to quality public goods and services, particularly in the areas of health, education, and protection against (all forms of) violence.

The program was organized in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), STAR-Ghana Foundation, Genius IT Foundation and Actionaid.