About 1,000 Women Benefit As Safe-Child Advocacy, Others Hold Breast Screening

To mark the 2020 International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women tomorrow November 25, Safe-Child Advocacy, a Church-run humanitarian organisation, and the Kumasi Catholic Archdiocesan Directorate for Prevention of Domestic Violence are organising a Breast Screening and Awareness programme targeted at about 1,000 women in Kumasi.

The programme being organised in collaboration with the Kumasi branch of Breast Care International will be held at the St. Peter’s Cathedral Basilica at Roman Hill, Kumasi, from 9:00am to 2:00pm.

Every year, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is marked on November 25 and this year’s theme is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect.”

In an interview, Sr. Olivia Umoh, Director of Safe-Child Advocacy, an organisation owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi, said the screening and awareness “is to reduce the risk of deaths of women from cancer.”

“Education is vital so that women know how to examine themselves and other needed care to reduce the risks of cancer,” she added and appealed to women in Kumasi to avail themselves to participate in “this God-given and life-saving opportunity of screening because breast Cancer is too deadly to ignore.”

She noted that breast screening will give women the opportunity to enjoy an aspect of their human rights, the rights to health care, the right to self-care.

The breast, she said, was the pride of a woman, hence the screening on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, was being organised to honour women and to make “even the most vulnerable women feel valued and respected.”

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today remains largely unreported due to the impunity, silence, stigma, and shame surrounding it.

According to her, violence against women continues to be an obstacle to achieving equality, development, peace as well as to the fulfillment of women and girls’ human rights.

She explained that the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - to leave no one behind - cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls.

Touching on Domestic Violence, Sr. Umoh, who is also the Director of the Directorate for Prevention of Domestic Violence and the Child Protection Officer of the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi, lamented that the coronavirus pandemic situation had worsened the plight of women in the home due to economic difficulties resulting in Domestic violence, which is a human rights violation.

She was however of the view that government alone cannot do all, hence “We also have to help ourselves,” adding that the Government has created the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSU) to assist address the problem of violence in the home, but victims, families, and neighbours have a duty to report cases.

“Churches and Mosques and traditional leaders have to also help to address such domestic issues as violence in the home,” she noted.

Explaining, she said, “that is why the Catholic Archdiocese of Kumasi has set up the Directorate for Prevention of Domestic Violence in the Archdiocese and mandate a team of trained personnel to train others and to work to eliminate domestic violence in Catholic families and the community at large.”