Sunday, March 8th 1998, is International Women’s Day. A day set aside by the United Nations to focus global attention on the situation of women. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Women’s Rights as Human Rights: Focus violence against women”. A statement issued in Accra by the National Council on Women and Development to mark the day says the NCWD is working towards a major research on the causes, nature and extent of gender-based violence in the country. The report would support and strengthen advocacy efforts and assist policy makers to gain greater understanding of the problem as a guide to design appropriate interventions. The statement said the World Health Organisation, (WHO) estimates that between 16 and 52 percent of women suffer physical violence from male partners in various parts of the world. However, there is either very little or no statistical data to indicate the prevalence of gender-based violence in Ghana. The NCWD will launch a national programme to focus attention on gender-based violence and its effects on women to mark the day.
