Story: Jasmine Afari-Mintah
THREE Combined Reports on the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) were launched in Accra on Wednesday.
The 3rd, 4th and 5th reports which cover the period 1993 to 2003 highlight progress made in achieving gender equality, as well as challenges and efforts being made by the government towards the realisation of women’s empowerment.
The first section of the reports provides an update on Ghana’s socio-economic and political environment.
It also discuses the position and status of women in Ghana since the submission of the first and second reports in 1991 and 1992 respectively.
The reports further evaluates what was achieved with regards to the implementation of the “ Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies for Promoting the Advancement of Women”, and “ The Platform For Action” adopted after the Beijing Conference.
The Minister for Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC), Hajia Alima Mahama, said the country was moving forward in its quest for the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.
She said giant strides had been taken by the country in fulfilment of its national, regional and international commitment adding that Ghana demonstrated its commitment and political will by not only signing the convention, but also through the implementation of various strategies with the view of empowering women.
She observed that the government and the people of Ghana had demonstrated their commitment to the tenets of the convention by ensuring that the Constitution and other policies and legislation were consistent with CEDAW.
“ A lot has happened since then. Greater awareness has been created in the country for dealing with gender issues and societal perception and concept for women and girls and development is changing,” she added.
She said sections of the 1992 Constitution, which guaranteed the fundamental human rights of every Ghanaian irrespective of race, place of origin, gender and freedom from discrimination, were in conformity with provisions of CEDAW.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs Agnes Chigabatia, said the physical and socio-economic development of women had proven to be a critical tool for sustainable development, ensuring world peace and the advancement of democracy.
She said it was also an essential tool to achieving transparency and accountability in the governance of every nation.
She said, although there had been a minimal increase in the number of women in decision-making at the district level, ministries, department and agencies there was still the need to increase women’s participation in decision-making since they formed about 52 per cent of the country’s population.
The Director of MOWAC, Mrs Marian Tackie, who gave an overview of the status of women in the country, stressed the need to identify issues affecting the development of women and fight it out to bring out the needed change.
The Director in charge of Drafting Division of the Attorney General’s Department (AG), Mrs Estella Appiah, who launched the reports on behalf of the AG, urged women not to be intimidated by the negative issues affecting them but try and aspire to greater heights in all their endeavours that they found themselves, since women throughout the world had contributed meaningfully to the development of their societies.
CEDAW
Advertisement
