The Executive Director of Songtaba has been recognised by the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection for her work in combating domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence, as well as harmful cultural practices in the Northern Region.

Lamnatu Adam describes the recognition as a surprise and a source of joy because it means her work is being monitored from afar, which will motivate her to do more.

The award was given as part of this year's 16-day activism campaign. The UNITE to End Violence Against Women initiative is a multiyear effort to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls around the world.

The initiative was launched in 2008 under the leadership of the UN Secretary-General to support the global civil society-led 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign.

UNITE, managed by UN Women, encourages governments, civil society, women's organizations, young people, the private sector, the media, and the UN system to work together to combat the global pandemic of violence against women and girls.

This year's global theme for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which will take place from November 25 to December 10, 2022, is "UNITE! Activism to End Violence Against Women and Girls."

According to available statistics, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their family.

In 2021, nearly one in every five women aged 20 to 24 had married before the age of 18, and one in every three women had experienced violence at least once in their lifetime.

Lamnatu has dedicated her life to gender and human rights activism over the last 20 years, initiating gender-responsive programmes to address a variety of challenges.

"I have deepened interest in the fight for social justice with a focus on community development and empowerment of marginalized populations such as women, children, the disabled and other marginalized groups," Lamnatu said in her profile to the Ministry.

Her advocacy work has earned her several awards for significantly changing the narrative on gender discrimination and violence against excluded groups.

"My contribution has been enormous towards the advocacy for the reintegration, closure and dignity of marginalized groups and I have been recognized by the Girls, not brides on working to achieve child marriage-free communities."

Lamnatu has worked on issues such as child marriage in the Northern region, the effects of witchcraft accusations on the livelihoods of women in Ghana's alleged witches camps, the impact of portable water provision on the development of the people of the CHERE Community, among others.

14 other individuals from across the country were also honored for their contributions to the fight against gender-based violence.