body-container-line-1
05.03.2015 Social News

Gender mainstreaming crucial for national development - Gender Activist

05.03.2015 LISTEN
By GNA

Accra, March 5, GNA - Mrs Joana Opare, an International Gender Consultant, on Thursday said gender mainstreaming is crucial for Ghana's development.

She said on paper, Ghana has done well in ratifying conventions and frameworks on gender issues, but in reality, there is more to be done to empower women socially, economically and politically.

Mrs Opare was speaking on the topic 'breaking barriers towards gender equality and Women's Empowerment' at an open forum organised by the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to commemorate this year's International Women's Day.

The day is celebrated internationally on March 8, every year, to honour the invaluable contribution of women in all spheres of life, and to take stock of progress and achievements made in the empowerment of women, as we as the challenges and obstacles.

This year's celebration, which falls on Sunday, March 8, 2015, is under the theme 'Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture It!'

Mrs Opare said: 'there is no empowered woman that will sit down for her home to destroy' and stressed the need for empowered women to have equal development opportunity for sustainable development of the economy and society at large.

She said gender equality is achieved when men and women received equal treatment and attention in socio-economic atmosphere.

She also called for the need to address gender-based discrimination and work on peoples' mind sets to empower themselves.

That, she said, could be achieved through consistent advocacy and education.

Mr Richard Quayson, the Acting Commissioner of CHRAJ, said the celebration of the day is also to serve as an occasion for various human rights groups to synergise and strategize to tackle challenges and expand opportunities for the empowerment of women.

He said it is a common knowledge that women are largely under- represented in the political, social and economic spheres of life.

'Whilst progress has been made in the relatively less hostile areas of public life, the empowerment of women has not made as much progress in other areas as desired.

'For instance, if the last parliamentary election is anything to go by, women representation in national politics in Ghana has still not broken through the 20 per cent glass ceiling. Even the representation at the District Assembly level is nothing to write home about,' he added.

Mr Quayson commended the judicial Service for progressively promoting the empowerment of women internally over the past years, adding that, the steady growth of women representation on the Bench is very commendable.

He therefore urged other Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including CHRAJ, to emulate the example.

'The 'Big Picture' is the ultimate goal but 'we cannot achieve that if we fail to take concrete steps to build the 'Small Pictures' that contribute to the 'Big Picture'.

'We in CHRAJ totally affirm the vision of the empowerment of women, summed up in the UN theme, that when we 'Empower Women, we empower Humanity, and commit to it,' he said.

He said the Commission's plan over the next five years was to increase women representation within CHRAJ at senior management level by 50 per cent of the present level by the end of 2020, by creating conditions that would empower more women to take up senior level positions.           

GNA

body-container-line