Message from the Chair on the Occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day

On the occasion of International Anti-Corruption Day, we at the STAR-Ghana Foundation welcome the opportunity to renew our commitment to fighting corruption. Strengthening transparency and accountability around the use of public resources is essential to achieving equitable, sustainable and responsive development. It is the right of every citizen to have ready and convenient access to critical public goods and services. It is also the right of every citizen to be accounted to and have functioning channels for feedback and redress. 

The challenges of the past year, especially with COVID 19 Pandemic demonstrated how important it was to ensure that the poor and underserved have access to critical health, water, sanitation, information, security and other resources. Therefore, the theme “to recover with integrity, we must unite against corruption” is important to us. We pledge to continue the productive relationships we have had with our civil society partners and public sector collaborators to work in unity for the world our people want and deserve!

STAR Ghana Foundation marks 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based violence

As part of the 16 days of activism against Gender-Based Violence, the STAR Ghana Foundation in partnership with Songtaba, FIDA and CSO COVID-19 Coordination Platform, convened two national convenings to mark this year’s 16 days campaign under the theme: "Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!". The dialogues took place in Tamale and Accra on December 1 and 2, 2020.

According to Eunice Abenyadzi, the Programmes Manager of STAR Ghana Foundation, the purpose of the dialogues was to provide space to dialogue on evidenceon sexual and gender-based violence, especially against adolescent girls and aged women accused of witchcraft .

She also noted that, Star Ghana foundation’s effort in marking the 16 days of activism were to engage stakeholders and foster partnerships between civil society actors, including academia and state institutions - to address the threats to women’s safety and security, and to explore strategies to strengthen prevention and response measures to violence against women and girls. 

Dr. Esther Offei-Aboagye, the Chairperson of Star Ghana Foundation’s Governing Council who joined the dialogue stated that the Foundation’s vision is a Ghana with a well-informed and active citizenry able to contribute to the transformational change to advance democracy, accountability, gender equality, and social inclusion through inclusive dialogue with citizens and civil society. In furtherance of this vision, she reiterated Star Ghana Foundation’s commitment to gender equality and social inclusion which makes it imperative for the Foundation to engage with partners to find lasting solutions to the plaguing problems.

Dr. Esther Offei-Aboagye further called for urgent action now to address the increasing incidences of violence against women, and for stakeholders to strategize on how to address this perennial issue.

“Sufficient funding must be mobilized to support relevant initiatives and strategic actions to ensure the safety of women; and to support the protection of relevant data needed as evidence to support civil society efforts”. 

Dr Offei-Aboagye on behalf of Star Ghana Foundation, expressed her gratitude to the British government and the Foreign Commonwealth Development office (FCDO), for supporting these initiatives. She also thanked the Ministry of Gender and Social Protection and other partners, for their continuous engagement and willingness to contribute in making Ghana a safer and more inclusive country. 

Also, in attendance was the Development Director of the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office – Mr. Phillip Smith. Mr. Smith emphasized the need for vulnerable people including young girls and women to be centered in discussions about Gender Based Violence, as marginalized people are more often at higher risk. He reiterated the UK governments commitment to action against gender-based violence, and to the provision of support services to survivors of gender-based violence.  He encouraged stakeholders to prioritize prevention and response to domestic violence by ensuring effective measures including frontline services are in place, and that girls in school are protected.

As input for these dialogues, the Foundation also commissioned a study into sexual and gender-based violence against women accused of witchcraft and gender-based violence against the youth (school-based) in Ghana. The study was led by Bashiratu Kamal, who presented at the two meetings. The study uncovered that, Sexual and Gender Based Violence was on the ascendancy, and its incidences had been exacerbated during the Covid-19 pandemic. The following were the specific findings of the impact of covid 19 on Gender Based Violence:

• The study noted that, the closure of schools during the pandemic had led to Ghana recording alarming rates of teenage pregnancy. Between January to May 2020, the Central Region alone recorded 3198 incidences of teenage pregnancy. This was attributed to poverty, facilitated in part by the economic devastation by the pandemic; lack of sexuality education; and, limited access to sexual reproductive health services including contraception and access to abortion

• The abuse and neglect of alleged witches: The assessment noted that, the Covid 19 pandemic had led to the inability of Civil Society Organizations and non-governmental organizations to provide aid; and to a re-prioritization and re-deployment of development attention and assistance from alleged witches in camps in Ghana. This had increased susceptibility to violence and to the exploitation of women’s labour at witches   Additionally, alleged witches as well as children who serve as their escorts, had been subjected to sexual assault, harassment, rape, alienation from family and other kinsmen, and psychological trauma

• Cyber-Bullying: The assessment found out that  that, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, cyber-bullying had become common in Ghana due to the rising number of people using internet as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns, closure of schools, job losses, and virtual work arrangements. Targets of cyber bullying (harassment, use of abusive language, body shaming, threat of harm and violence) during the pandemic have been mostly feminists, and celebrities

Key emerging issues out of the two convenings for further actions included intensive public education create increased awareness on the impacts of GBV, influencing the reactivation of the; Domestic Violence fund, advocacy for the passage of the anti-witchcraft bill into law and finally, a call for effective implementation of re-entry and early childhood policy that will facilitate  re-entry of girls particularly pregnant girls into school.

The Executive Director of Star Ghana Foundation, Alhaji Amidu Ibrahim-Tanko, in his closing remarks thanked participants for their participation and contributions. He stressed on the need to build a repository of knowledge, with data that can be transferred and utilized to facilitate civil society work on ending gender-based violence. He noted the reduction in funding presently available to Civil Society funding and iterated the need for local resource mobilization.

The format of the event had Bashiratu Kamal, the researcher set the context for the dialogue which was followed by panel discussion and moderated by Eunice Abenyadzi. The panel members for the Accra dialogue were Dinah Adiko, a women’s rights advocate; Kofi Asare, the Executive Director of Africa Education Watch; Lamnatu Adam, Executive Director, Songtaba; and Susan Aryeetey, Executive Director of FIDA.

The Tamale dialogue was attended and chaired by Prof Agnes Apusiga, a member of the Governing Council of STAR Ghana Foundation. The panel members included: Lamnatu Adam (Songtaba); Mr. Emmanuel Hulotsu (Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit); Ms. Bushira (Regional Department of Gender), Ms. Alia (ActionAid Ghana) and Girls not Bride Association.