Vice President calls for an end to violence against women

Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has called for an end to violence against women, including gender-based violence.

She made this appeal in her keynote address at a National Dialogue held in Accra to mark this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD). The event was themed “Resetting the Agenda for Women: Accelerating Action on Women’s Rights, Equity, and Empowerment.”

This year’s IWD commemorates 30 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action—a global commitment to advancing women’s rights. Reflecting on Ghana’s progress, the Vice President emphasized the urgent need for action.

“We must choose to end all forms of violence against women and girls. No matter the form it takes or the rationale behind it—whether human trafficking, domestic violence, accusations of witchcraft and the resulting instant justice, child marriage, female genital mutilation, or sexual violence—these violations demand our sustained action.

“Beyond condemning these harmful practices, we must question why they persist. Are there justifications for their continuation? Why do they seem like incurable diseases within the lives of women?

“We must address these issues at their roots. Ignoring the needs of girls and women, obstructing their paths to advancement, killing their dreams, clipping their wings, enforcing mediocrity, refusing even to encourage them, and upholding systems that keep women at the bottom—these, too, are forms of violence that require urgent action.”

She reaffirmed the need for collective responsibility in eliminating gender-based violence in all spaces, including homes, schools, workplaces, places of worship, and communities.

“Today, we stand in solidarity with women and girls. We must demand dignity. We must be intolerant of any form of violence against women and girls, wherever it occurs in our nation.”

The Vice President urged both men and women, as well as boys and girls, to take a stand against violations of fundamental human rights.