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Tamale, Ghana – Gender advocates in the Northern Region have repeated calls on government and parliament to show enough commitment to issues affecting the socio-economic development of Ghanaian women and girls.
The members of leading gender advocacy organization called Network For Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), believe many Ghanaian women are still counted out of decision-making at the family and community levels owing to the fact that they are illiterate, lack economic empowerment and ignorant of their basic human rights among others.
A former Northern Regional Director of the National Population Council, Chief Issahaku Amadu Zangblun, observed that the challenges affecting women in the region and other parts of the country, have given rise to witchcraft accusations, sexual and gender based violence and child marriage among others.
“62.8% of women in the Northern Region are illiterate. This accounts for most of the gender related issues on the rise in the area. The region is also one of the poorest in the country. But unfortunately, in predominantly Muslim communities, people spend so much to perform weddings, buy expensive clothes and jewelries which bring huge cost to the couple”, the revered traditional leader pointed out during a regional women’s forum in Tamale on Thursday.
According to Chief Amadu Zangbalun, child marriage in the region is also the worst. “The Northern and Upper East Regions are leading the entire country with about 28% of cases whereas the national average is 19%. Over 90% of teenage pregnancies are conveniently converted into marriages”.
To further buttress Chief Amadu Zangbalun’s position, Regional Focal Person of NETRIGHT, Fati Alhassan, bemoaned the lack of interest by the executive and legislature towards passing critical bills into law.
She cited the Affirmative Action Bill and Spousal Bill which have been tabled before parliament for many years now. “The Land Bill which was passed recently has still not been given presidential accent to operate”, Madam Fati said.
The Executive Director Grassroots Sisterhood Foundation also observed that, there are many nongovernmental organisations in the region yet the negative indices on development are not changing.
“This is because there is duplication of projects and efforts which have led to the creation of less impact in the communities they operate. Let’s come together as organisations with common interest and direct our resources to where they are really needed in order to create the needed impact that would bring about positive change of attitude in people and how they do things”, she stressed.
Going forward, the forum called for increased public awareness on gender related issues, their effects on individuals, families and communities so as to deepen the understanding of people who are likely to perpetrate such acts on women and girls.
Participants also urged women and other gender sensitive organisations that wish to see women make huge progress in education, economic empowerment as well as play key role in leadership at the community, regional and national level to endeavor to join NETRIGHT.
They also urged government and parliament to show enough commitment towards issues affecting women by passing the Land and spousal bills in order to advance the progress of women.
The one day forum which brought together women from different social background sought to remind them of the challenges still stifling the general progress of women and girls, and to re-strategize on how to overcome such challenges.
The forum was organized by NETRIGHT, a network of women’s rights organisations with funding support from African Women’s Development Fund.
By SavannahNewsOnline.Com/Philip Liebs
