Is Womanhood A Misfortune?

During the caveman era, women were perceived to be ‘objects’ of sexuality or fertility. The prehistoric artist produced erotic sculpture and paintings of the feminine parts – large breasts, thighs, buttocks and the torso to symbolise sexual attraction.

The ancient impression about women changed in the 21^st century. This paradigm shift is far-reaching in the advanced world. Great nations such as Germany, Chile, Switzerland, South Korea, Croatia and Denmark are being headed by women.

Most African countries have done little to project women in that regard. The potential and rights of women had been downplayed in many ways. It is welcoming news that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana frowns on the abuse of human rights regardless of gender.

Furthermore, some interventions have been put in place to champion the interest of women and girls. Notably among them included, “send your girl child to school” campaign, the fight against female genital mutilation (FGM) and the launch of the National Gender policy.

Ghana has come a long way as far as women empowerment is concerned. We can boast of many successful women from various walks of life including medicine, law, governance, engineering, academia and business, just to mention a few.

Abuse of women & sex scandals
According to the findings of Gender Studies and Human Rights Documentation Center, a non-governmental organisation, about 27 percent of women have been sexually assaulted in their lifetime.

The vicissitudes of sex scandals, prostitution, teenage pregnancy and indecent exposure have become common in most Ghanaian societies.

Few months ago, the entire country was outraged by a sex scandal involving a 22-year-old Daniel Ofosu who lured 42 women and had series of sexual intercourse with each of them.

According to investigations, Daniel Ofosu secretly filmed the intercourse and started sharing the disgusting videos via Bluetooth, Whatsapp and other social networks at a fee of GH¢5.

Unfortunately, some of the identified victims were married women, nurses, university graduates and students.

Between 2014 and 2015, many leaked sex tapes had gone viral on social media. One of such despicable incidents that shocked many Ghanaians was the Tamale sex scandal.

The suspect, Khamil Abu Wemah, leaked nude pictures and videos of himself and numerous women he engaged in sexual intercourse. He then fled the country and later apologised for his actions.

When such embarrassing footages leak out, the women involved are severely affected. Some of the ordeals they endure are social stigma, emotional and psychological trauma. Why should the woman suffer alone when the act involves two people?

Alleged sexual favours
The accusation of sexual favours against women who had attained enviable positions in society is unfortunate. Such allegations hamper concerted efforts aimed at empowering women to develop their potential.

As a matter of fact, one cannot deny that some shameless women offer sex in exchange for favour. But that should not be generalised because there are many outstanding women who have been offered key positions on merit.

The undeserving comments of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Mr. Kennedy Agyapong, while addressing party supporters in Kumasi on June 28, 2016, were disgusting to say the least.

The embattled MP is reported to have accused the Electoral Commissioner of Ghana, Mrs. Charlotte Osei, of using sexual favours in exchange for her current position. This is an affront to women in general and should be condemned by all.

Mr. Agyapong was strongly castigated by individuals, government institutions and groups for his derogatory remarks. But I think he owes the head of the Electoral Commission and the entire country an apology.

Violence against women
Statistics from the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service indicates that over 17,000 cases of violence against women were recorded in 2014.

The rate of domestic violence, rape, defilement, human trafficking in Ghana is worrying. It is estimated that more than 90 percent cases of acid violence in Ghana were as a result of ill-relationships, rivalry or misunderstanding between lovers. And mostly, the victims are women.

Quite a number of young women have been deformed due to acid attacks. The effect of acid burns can dampen the confidence of people; a situation that makes it difficult for women to find suitors.

Unfortunately, when men attack women with acid, they go into hiding and the case fades away without recourse to justice.

Women empowerment
Women empowerment is one of the essential components of promoting gender balance or equity. Most importantly, since women constitute a greater percentage of the country’s total population.

As a democratic country, we have made progress by creating an enabling environment for women to rub shoulders with their male counterparts. The ongoing legal process to pass the Affirmative Action Bill into law is a commendable.

A renowned educationist, Dr. James Kwegyir Aggrey, underscored the significance of women empowerment with his famous quotes that, “If you educate a man, you educate one person but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation”.

The national campaign for the female child education, among others, has yielded incessant results. In fact, the benefits of educating women are impeccable, to say the least. Amazingly, most girls perform better than the boys in school.

In view of that, our institutions have churned out distinguished career women such as university professors, medical practitioners, judges, lawyers, parliamentarians and ministers of state.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection should go the extra mile by ensuring that the rights and dignity of women are sustained.

Womanhood is a great calling to contribute significantly towards the success of men, children and the society as a whole.

The versatility of women towards nation building cannot be underestimated, so let’s accord our female bosses, mothers, sisters, wives and daughters the necessary support and respect.

ASP James Annan
Public Relations Unit
Ghana Prisons Headquarters
jamesannan2006@gmail.com