Masud A. Rauf
Lifestyle BloggerFounding member and Executive Director of RUWA-GHANA.
RUWA-GHANA CELEBRATES 2022 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY IN WA
On Tuesday, March 8, 2022, RUWA-GHANA in collaboration with its major stakeholders including the Ghana Legal Aid Scheme, Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Ghana Education Service, Ghana Health Service, Legal Literacy Volunteers (LLVs), Sexual and Gender Based Violence Champions (SGBV Champions), Radio Listeners Clubs, School Clubs, RUWA Women’s Groups and Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLA Groups) celebrated the 2022 International Women’s Day in the Regional Library Conference Hall in Wa under the theme: “Stop ‘Tijaa Bunyen’ and Report Rape & Defilement Cases to Police”.
Addressing the gathering of about 120 women, men and girls on the occasion, the Executive Director of RUWA-GHANA, Mr. Masud Aziz Rauf, took the opportunity to salute the European Union for providing the funding through Oxfam in Ghana for the implementation of the project dubbed “ENOUGH! Empowering Women, Girls, Boys and Men to take Positive Action in Ending Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) in Ghana.”
He added that through the implementation of the project in the Wa East, Wa West and Wa Municipal of the Upper West region of Ghana the project established Legal Literacy Volunteers (LLVs) in 12 communities in the three districts who are trained on handling and resolving common legal issues and working with community chiefs, elders and Assembly members to settle common domestic conflicts among households and families, but encouraged to report criminal cases relating to Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) such as rape and defilements to the police via DOVVSU. On this occasion of International Women’s Day, “I salute our gallant LLVs for igniting the consciences of communities on SGBV issues”.
Explaining the concept of ‘Tijaa Bunyen’, Mr. Masud said it literally means ‘We Are All One’ adding that the communities of the project have a common belief that all conflicts must be settled amicably by elders or family heads. At worse conflicting parties take their issues to the highest authority in the community, which is the chief. Under no circumstances should conflicts be taken to the formal legal system because after all, ‘Tijaa Bunyen’. The situation has led to many criminal cases pertaining to rape and defilement going unpunished making the objective of the project difficult to attain.
He also used the occasion to appeal to the people and chiefs of the Upper West region of Ghana to take note of the bad effect of the ‘Tijaa Bunyen’ in the interest of protecting girls and women and report criminal cases to law enforcement agents. He added that “we are not discounting the positive effect of social cohesion that the ‘Tijaa Bunyen’ has on the development and Unity of communities. But it should not be a concealed haven for criminals”
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