Speak out on sexual abuse – Samira tells women

The 2nd Lady of the Republic of Ghana Samira Bawumia has stressed that there is the need for women to be empowered to speak up about sexual abuses.

According to her, women must defy the odds and not keep mute when they are abused but have the courage to speak out and seek justice.

The 2nd Lady made the observation when she hosted the International Women’s Day edition of the Morning Starr Thursday.

“Let’s urge our young women to speak up, they should find the courage and defy the odds and when they speak up we need to support them and that is what the Times Up hashtag is about, we are all saying enough is enough.”

The 2nd Lady hosted the Morning Starr on Starr 103.5FM as Ghana marks International Women’s Day.

She was joined on the show by legal practitioner Ace Ankomah and Professor Nana Aba Amfo, the head of Linguistics at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Popular women and other women who have excelled in their field were also interviewed by Mrs. Bawumia on the show.

This year’s international women’s celebrations focus on gender equality for women which is also captured by the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) Goal 5: “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”.

The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March, is “Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives”.

This year, International Women’s Day comes on the heels of unprecedented global movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. This has taken the form of global marches and campaigns, including #MeToo and #TimesUp in the United States of America and their counterparts in other countries, on issues ranging from sexual harassment and femicide to equal pay and women’s political representation.

Echoing the priority theme of the upcoming 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, International Women’s Day will also draw attention to the rights and activism of rural women, who make up over a quarter of the world population, and are being left behind in every measure of development.