The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba has called on the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from all regions of the world advancing the welfare of women to strengthen efforts in achieving gender equality as inequality against women and girls still persist.
Gender inequality, according to the sector Minister can be measured in terms of wages, employment, education, healthcare and access to other productive resources.
Addressing delegates and participants at a high-level interactive dialogue among Ministers at the ongoing sixty-second Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, UN Headquarters, New York, the Gender Minister urged member states and non-governmental agencies to “walk the talk” and to ensure gender equality and deepen advocacy so the lives of women especially rural women and girls can be advanced.
The dialogue session which was chaired by H.E. Mr. David Stanton, Ireland Minister for Equality, Integration and Immigration, was on the priority theme, 'Building Alliances to Achieve Gender Equality and Empower Rural Women and Girls.'
Touching on Ghana’s efforts at promoting equality among women and men, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba said government has enacted a number of laws that protect rural women and girls and guarantee gender equality and participation in national development. Most of these instruments promote and protect the rights of rural women in land acquisition, inheritance and civil rights.
She affirmed that Ghana has begun sensitization programme which is vigorously being undertaken in rural communities on human trafficking to protect rural girls from being trafficked. Government now has 3 shelters to protect abused and trafficked women and girls.\
“Remand Homes in 3 regions have been converted to training centres to train vulnerable girls who migrate to the cities to carry load popularly called "kayayie' in various vocational skills to prevent them from migrating from their home regions. In addition, data is being collected on those already in the cities living under horrible conditions and exposed to physical and moral danger to direct policy intervention”.
The Gender Minister further stated that Ghana in collaboration with UN Women launched the “HeForShe” campaign on 12th December, 2017 to rally support of men and to conscientise them on their responsibility in promoting gender equality. The campaign which is ongoing focuses on three objectives: ending harmful socio – cultural practices, increase women’s participation in political/decision-making spheres and increase women’s economic empowerment. Ghana has over 2,500 people committing to the aforementioned objectives on social media in 3 months.
She reiterated the government’s commitment under his Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consolidate social interventions as part of the political will to promote sustainable development through the provision of One factory per each of the 216 Districts to promote rural industrialization and agro processing, one dam in each village in the Northern part of the country to promote and boost agricultural production and employment, and youth empowerment programmes to provide skills and employment for the Ghanaian youth.
“Ghana continues to integrate the SDG Goals into the national development frameworks, plans and policies; and remains committed to strengthening institutional capacity that promotes the enforcement of gender responsive laws and related services. As a proof the country’s commitment, there is an ongoing programme with young people to sensitize them with the aim to get them involved in the integration process. To date, over a 2,000 young girls and boys have been reached with targeted information”.
A twenty-six-member delegation from Ghana led by the Gender, Children and Social Protection Minister is attending this year’s CSW62 from 12th – 23rd March 2018. The delegation include some members of Ghana’s Standing Committee on Gender and Children , Select Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises of Parliament, gender activists, Women Political Activists, Women Traditional Rulers, Journalists and others.
Ghana|Atinkaonline.com|Regina Asamoah|[email protected]| New York.
