Govt urged to expand shelter for sexual abuse victims
The government should dedicate more resources to expand shelters for survivors of sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), a former Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Bampoe Addo, has recommended.
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Such a move, she said, would help address the immediate and compelling needs of survivors of SGBV, while offering opportunities for rehabilitation of such victims.
According to her, the only shelter for victims of SGBV was located in Accra, and therefore there was the need to establish more in other regions.
“We have to be ready to fight this canker and protect our girls, women and children,” she said.
Nana Bampoe Addo made the recommendation during a ceremony to launch the transition of a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which fights against sexual exploitation and sex trafficking - Abuse Relief Corps' (ARC) to Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R)
O.U.R launch
O.U.R, an international non-profit organisation fights to end sex trafficking and sexual exploitation by assisting in rescuing and supporting thousands of survivors in 40 countries.
It does this by rescuing women and children from sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, providing training and support for law enforcement agencies, as well as victim support services.
ARC transition into O.U.R Ghana will give the NGO more resources and capabilities to expand its operations to curb sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, as well as provide adequate support for victims.
The ARC, has for the past seven years, been committed to fighting sexual abuse and child sex trafficking in the country by facilitating the quest for justice by survivors of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking.
Last year, ARC merged with O.U.R, to be known as O.U.R Ghana.
O.U.R Ghana also used the event to donate 10 laptops valued at GH¢ 90,000 to the Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the Ghana Police Service to help the fight against human and sex trafficking.
The merger, according to the former minister, was a step in the right direction and would go a long way in the fight against SGBV.
The Country Manager of O.U.R, Fred Akweter, said the merger would provide the organisation with the opportunity to expand its capacity to respond to the needs of survivors of abuse and sex trafficking.
