Ms Bernice Sam, a gender consultant, called for greater vigilance and conviction of more perpetrators of violence against women and girls to deter others.
According to her, men, especially the perpetrators of the crime, harmed women with impunity.
Ms Sam, also a lawyer, called on the Ghana National International Network to End Violence against Women and Girls (INEVAWG) consultation to re-politicize violence against women and girls.
Ms. Sam noted that the Ghana Police Service recorded many cases of violence against women and girls, but the number of convictions was insufficient.
She said that in 2019, a police service report showed that out of 6,500 reported cases of assault, only 63 were convicted, 17 out of 1,200 reported cases of defilement were convicted and 11 out of 1,100 cases of death threats were convicted.
This, the Gender Consultant said, has harmed women and girls in various forms while such crimes are on the rise in society. "...Impunity for the abuse of children and women is back with a bang," she said.
Ms Sam called on all stakeholders, including the police, judiciary and social welfare, to effectively address violence against women and girls.
The lawyer emphasized the need for citizens to be widely educated about anti-violence laws.
Professor Akosua Darkwa, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, University of Ghana, said all forms of violence are problematic and need to be addressed as equals.
Studies show that there is a relationship between the level of education and the type of violence a person experiences.
It turned out that women with tertiary education were less prone to physical abuse than uneducated women.
She called on younger women who would accept the responsibility of advocating for women and girls to step up the efforts of older advocates.
Professor Darkwa advised that space must be created for others with different socio-demographic characteristics to be heard.
Dr Amanda Odoi, researcher at the Center for Gender Research, Advocacy and Documentation, University of Cape Coast, urged the older generation of advocates to help the younger ones with laws and policies, while the younger ones used social media and other advocacy tools to fight against women and girls .
Dr. Odoi, also a feminist and gender expert, noted that many older women advocates mentored them and offered them spaces to operate, but the larger number of younger ones found it difficult to reach them.
Ms. Gloria Kankam, a member of INEVAWG, said the network sought to build a fierce and strong female side as the fight against violence against women and girls waned.
She called for funding for stakeholders to effectively combat the threat to women and girls.
INEVAWG was established in 2014 in South Africa in response to heightened global concerns about violence against women and girls and rising levels of impunity and poor state accountability.
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