The World Will Be One Big Mess Without Women — Otiko Djaba

The Executive Director of the Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation, Dr. Otiko Afisah Djaba has said the World will have no relevance without women given equal opportunities to play active roles.

The former Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection questioned why most women and girls in Ghana, Africa and other parts of the world still do not have their freedom in society.

In a statement issued by Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation to commemorate the International Women’s Day 2020, the renowned gender advocate expressed disappointment that even after 63 years of Ghana’s independence, society still downplays the important roles of women.

“The voices of countless abused women have been rendered voiceless, the tears of unfulfilled women have gone unnoticed, the screams of our girls being defiled go unheard, the frustrations and pains of women with disability are ignored, and the continuous domination of men over women are a few of the injustices against women and girls, that we must address this year,” the statement noted.

According to Otiko Djaba, a mother of a three-year-old girl recently reported that her daughter, who attends Face to Face international school at Fete Kakraba in the Central Region of Ghana had been raped by her teacher.

"In the light of this gruesome and heinous crime against this little girl, how do we celebrate women fully? We at the Foundation seize the 2020 International Women’s Day occasion, to condemn this recent defilement of the three-year-old school girl at Cape Coast. #ThisNonsenseMustStop”.

She lead advocate for Persons with Disability indicating that in spite of the fact that Ghana has signed on to so many global resolutions and protocols such as the CEDAW, Maputo Protocol, the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, and UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security to protect women’s rights and inclusion, women and girls still face discrimination, inequality, sexual and gender-based violence, social and political and economic exclusion among others.

The Executive Director of Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation who congratulated all women across the globe, most especially Ghanaian women for their remarkable contributions towards national development, said there are millions of women who are sheroes, bold, courageous, tenacious, resilient, strong, beautiful and full of brains and must be allowed to showcase their intrinsic worth.

Dr. Otiko Djaba is calling on government and Parliament to pass the Affirmative Action Bill and also finalize the amendment of the Disability Act to ensure women and disability issues are addressed with utmost seriousness.

The Henry Djaba Memorial Foundation called on government and the enforcement agencies to enforce the laws that protect females against defilement, rape, female genital mutilation and accusation of witchcraft in Ghana.

“Though the practice of FGM is abolished by law, it is still practiced in some communities in Ghana. Defilement and Rape are criminal offenses, let the strong arm of the law be visited on the perpetrators,” she emphasised.