The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) have trained service providers in Kumasi on gender-based violence (GBV) and human rights-responsive services.

The two-day training formed part of the Scale-Up Project, which is being implemented jointly by UNFPA and PPAG to improve access to GBV and human rights-responsive services.

Participants were drawn from institutions including the Department of Social Welfare, the National Commission for Civic Education, the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), the Department of Gender, the Ghana AIDS Commission, Pro-Actif Ghana, the Ghana Education Service and the Ghana Health Service.

A journalist from Joy News also participated in the training.

John Owusu Mensah, a Field Officer with PPAG in Kumasi, said the project focuses on strengthening access to services for survivors of GBV and marginalised groups.

He explained that the full name of the initiative is the Scaling Up Access to GBV and Human Rights Responsive Services Project, commonly referred to as the Scale-Up Project.

“The project is called Scaling Up Access to GBV and Human Rights Responsive Services. We shorten it to Scale-Up,” he said.

According to Mr Mensah, the project runs from 2024 to December 2026, with PPAG seeking to strengthen its role in providing sexual and reproductive health information and services to young people and marginalised groups in Ghana.

“Our mission is to provide people with quality health information and services, especially young people and marginalised groups in Ghana,” he said.

He said the project targets GBV survivors and marginalised groups, including people living with HIV, members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and persons with disabilities.

“They are human beings first before anything else,” he said.

The first day of the training focused on the introduction to GBV, current trends and preventive measures.

Albert Boakye of the Ashanti Regional Department of Social Welfare led the sessions and also facilitated discussions on the work being done by institutions to address GBV and the challenges they encounter.

Ebenezer Peegah of Rightify Ghana took participants through human rights and GBV case management, including approaches to handling cases involving key populations.

He also discussed the management of GBV cases using the essential package of services.

Lilian Maku Attram facilitated a session on the Gender Transformative Approach, explaining how the approach seeks to challenge harmful gender norms and promote equality.

The second day began with a recap of the lessons from the first day before Mr Boakye led a session on GBV advocacy and communication.

The session was designed to equip participants with skills to advocate against GBV and share relevant information within their communities.

Mr Peegah also introduced participants to GBV referral systems, including the Yenkasa Contact Centre and the Rapid Response System (RRS).

Participants were further trained on the use of the Scale-Up Project's GBV Survivors Case Management and Claim Form.

The form is intended to help survivors access support funds as part of the assistance available under the project.

Mr Mensah said similar training sessions will be organised in other regions where the Scale-Up Project is being implemented.

He noted that PPAG also organised a similar training at the national level in 2025.

The two-day programme ended with closing remarks from the organisers.