The African Youth and Adolescents Network on Population and Development (AfriYAN Ghana) organised a two-day empowerment session with some adolescents and young women in the Greater Accra region. These workshops were aimed at addressing their Sexual and reproductive Health and Gender-Based Violence vulnerabilities as part of the Adolescent Girls Project (AGP), with funding from the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA).
The Adolescent Girls Empowerment sessions were held in three different communities in Accra Metro and facilitated by AfriYAN partners She Inspires Africa and Lead Connect, bringing together over 200 participants who were empowered to stand against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).
Lead facilitators, Ophelia Allotey and Josephina Quaynor, touched on very important themes such as consent, assertiveness and bodily autonomy, encouraging participants to stand up for themselves and ensure they are treated right and with dignity. “no one has the right to touch you inappropriately and in a manner you don’t desire; let your NO mean NO.” Ophelia emphasized.
Josephina urged the girls to be assertive and communicate their displeasure clearly, matching their words with actions. “You cannot tell someone to stop an action and still be sitting on his bed. Your voice, eyes and actions must all communicate the same thing”.
An interactive theatre performance held at the Jamestown Community Theatre Centre, brought a crucial issue to light: intimate partner violence. It was revealed that this act remains widely normalised within the community, where some victims even think of it as a spice to the relationship. Addressing the crowd, Miss Allotey, Project Lead for She Inspires Africa, spoke vehemently against the menace, urging a cultural shift toward respectful relationships. She also urged them to stop shielding their abusers and speak up against such harmful practices.
Some participants expressed their gratitude to the organisers for the enlightenment. “I didn’t know that there are specific places you can go to apart from the clinics to access reproductive health services or even get support from when you face any form of abuse, but now, I know better.”
The empowerment sessions align with AfriYAN Ghana’s broader mission as a UNFPA sub-implementing partner driving youth right, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), and policy advocacy to uplift adolescents and young women across Ghana.
