Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and harmful practices, including child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), continue to undermine the rights, health, and well-being of women and girls. These practices are often driven by harmful social norms, unequal gender relations, and limited awareness of prevention, protection, and response mechanisms.
To address these challenges, the Department of Gender, with support from UNFPA Ghana, organized community dialogue sessions in Kassena Nankana West and Nabdam Districts using the Framework for Engaging Men and Boys. The initiative recognized the important role that men and boys play in challenging harmful gender norms, promoting positive masculinity, and advancing gender equality.
The overall objective of the activity was to strengthen community awareness, engagement, and advocacy for the prevention and response to Gender-Based Violence and harmful practices through the meaningful involvement of men and boys.
The dialogues brought together 60 participants across the two districts and provided a platform for open discussions on the causes, consequences, and prevention of GBV, child marriage, and FGM. Participants explored practical ways to promote respectful relationships, support survivors, and foster community accountability in preventing violence against women and girls.
The activity achieved several key outcomes, including:
* Successful organization of two community dialogue sessions.
* Increased awareness and understanding of GBV, child marriage, and FGM among participants.
* Improved appreciation of positive masculinity, gender equality, and the role of men and boys as allies in preventing violence.
* Enhanced knowledge of referral pathways and available survivor support services.
* Strengthened community commitment to preventing GBV and harmful practices through collective action.
* Development and documentation of community action commitments to sustain advocacy and prevention efforts.
The community dialogue sessions demonstrated that engaging men and boys is an effective strategy for transforming harmful social norms and strengthening community ownership of efforts to eliminate GBV and harmful practices. Participants expressed a strong commitment to promoting gender equality, protecting women and girls, and supporting ongoing community-led initiatives. Sustained engagement, continuous awareness creation, and regular follow-up will be essential to maintaining the momentum and advancing efforts to end child marriage, FGM, and other forms of Gender-Based Violence.
