Women urged to be proactive in solving their problems

Asesewa (E/R), April 27, GNA - The Minister for Women and Children's Affairs, Mrs Gladys Asmah, has called on women to be proactive in identifying problems relating to them and children so that they could join hands with local leaders to address them.

She mentioned some of the problems facing women and children as domestic violence, discrimination, child trafficking, child neglect by fathers and outmoded traditional practices like female genital multination and trokosi.

Mrs Asamah, who said this at the celebration of the Upper Manya constituency Women-In-Development Day at Asesewa on Monday, urged the women to unite and share experiences with the view to influencing socio-economic development in their respective areas. She disclosed that her Ministry intends to establish Women and Children's centres in all the regions to provide counselling services and recreational facilities.

She said it was unfortunate that women have been traditionally been relegated to the background over the years through discriminatory and other abusive traditional practices.

Mrs Asmah said it was unacceptable to relegate women to the periphery of society, explaining that it was due to the abuse and discrimination perpetrated against them, which informed the international community to place the issues of women and children very high on the world's agenda.

According to her, the government has been committed to the development and protection of women and children partly through the provision of micro financial support to women engaged in various vocations so as to empower them economically. She said over 40,000 women have been supported financially to the tune of billions of cedis.

The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Gustav Narh Dometey, expressed government's commitment to the philosophy of positive change, which he said, had already taken practical steps.

He said government's vision of reversing the unfortunate condition of women could not be faulted, since there was "fair play" in the choice of qualified women to ascend higher positions in government and the state.

Mr Dometey noted that a novelty in the country's political history was the positive step taken by the NPP government in creating a full ministry for Women and Children's Affairs. 27 Apr. 04