Members of Coalition on the Women’s Manifesto for Ghana, (WMC) have recommended that government formulate an affirmative action policy to promote women’s participation in politics.
The group said instead of government allowing individual women to take their political destiny into their own hands, there should be a policy to ensure that women gain easier access to the district assemblies and Parliament.
At a press conference in Accra to mark the 3rd Anniversary of the launch of the WMC for Ghana, Hamida Harrison, WMC Convenor reiterated their demand that all political parties should promote affirmative action to progressively increase the number of female candidates for parliamentary elections.
The anniversary was under the theme, “Three Years On: Moving the Agenda.”
Ms Hamida stressed, “The political parties should ensure that by 2008 there will be at least 50% representation of women in party executive and other decision-making structures.”
She noted that until gender parity is achieved, women accepted as parliamentary and district assembly candidates should be supported financially from a special independent fund created by the government in the year 2005.
The Women Manifesto is a political document that identifies key national issues of concern to women and calls on policy makers and relevant agencies to address them.
It tackles issues ranging from women’s inability to access equal national resources critical for decent livelihoods, low participation in governance processes, women’s predominance among the poor to women’s health, particularly the unacceptably high rate of maternal mortality.
The Executive Director, Women’s Initiative for Self- Empowerment (WISE), Mrs. Adwoa Bame said the government must ensure that by the 2008, 50 percent appointees to district assemblies, district chief executives and district co-ordinating directors are women.
“We want to make sure that by 2008 at least 50 percent of appointees to public offices, such as boards of corporations and institutions and the higher echelons of bureaucracies are women,” she stated.
She said the government should institute measures which promote shared responsibilities of life for both women and men as a means of creating balance in family and work responsibilities, thus facilitating women’s active participation in public life.
Mrs. Bame noted that although the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRSI) which did not address gender issues systematically has been reviewed, its impact of improved livelihood of women remains to be seen.
According to her, female farmers are among the poorest of the poor in country, receiving little or no remuneration and support, while contributing in no small measure to feeding their households and the rest of the country.
“Women do the bulk of housework and related functions without adequate social support in the form of child support, day care centres and labor saving devices,” she said.
She argued that with the current population of the country being dominated by women, there should be a reflection in the total representation in parliament and district assemblies, public and private sectors and in corporate organisations.
Mrs. Bame lauded the appointment of several women as Deputy Ministers, saying it is a good beginning, but added that care must be taken not to create a new ghetto for female participation in government.
“We further applaud the appointment of a female Chief Justice, the increase in the number of women District Chief Executives and lady Ministers of State with special reference to the “injury time” ministerial appointments by the government,” Mrs. Bame said.
She emphasized that this year’s celebration of the women’s manifesto is dedicated to all outstanding and unresolved issues addressed in the manifesto but especially on the issues of women’s representation in the political process having in mind the upcoming elections in 2008.
“On the occasion of our 3rd anniversary we re-affirm our commitment to advocating for gender equality and national development, especially intensifying advocacy on the implementation of the manifesto which demands obstacles in getting women to file their nominations and be voted into public office be removed.”
She called on both women and men to support women candidates who file their nominations for political office and urged them to do away with traditional prejudices, beliefs and perceptions that support gender discrimination.
The Executive Director, Advocates for Gender Equity (AGE), Mrs. Elizabeth Akpalu, observed that under a human rights framework, governments have a primary responsibility for establishing equitable laws and systems that allow women and men to exercise and enjoy their rights under the protection of legal system.
She said in spite of the many policy recommendations that have been arrived at different at fora from local, national, regional and the international levels, it is obvious that the fight to eradicate poverty is far from being won.
According to her, available data from Social Watch Report of 2006 indicate that a disturbingly high proportion of countries will not attain the objectives of the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) which is to reduce the percentage of the population living in extreme poverty by half between 1990 and 2015.
Mrs. Akpalu stated that every decision the government takes should include women because they have the right to make decisions and also contribute their quota to the development of the nation.
Other concerns of the women manifesto are the harmful and discriminatory social practices against women often justified in the name of culture, violence against women as well as the special problem of the disabled, widowed, aged women and single mothers and issues of personal insecurity, dislocations and violence experienced by women in conflict situations.
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