Parliament salutes Ghanaian women on "International Women's Day

Accra, March 8, GNA - Parliament, on the occasion of "International Women's Day", on Wednesday commended Ghanaian women for their positive contributions to national development and urged that every encouragement be given them to enhance their social, economic and political status.

The House made the commendation after Mrs Margaret Clarke-Kwesie, a Minister of State at the Presidency and MP for Ga South, had read a statement in Parliament in commemoration of the Day.

International Women's Day is celebrated world-wide each year to acknowledge womanhood and the aspiration, pain and achievements of women globally. The occasion is being celebrated this year under the theme "Women uniting for peace against HIV/AIDS".

In her statement, which focused on the theme for this year's observance of the Day, Mrs Clarke-Kwesie told the House that of all the problems that women encounter, the most painful is the spectre of HIV/AIDS.

She said to draw the attention of all Ghanaians to the HIV/AIDS pandemic and its adverse effect on the population, especially young and active men and women who constitute the bulk of the nation's workforce, the National Council on Women and Development (NCWD) and other women's groups are undertaking a peaceful march in Kumasi as part of activities marking the Day.

Mrs Clarke-Kwesie said since 1986 when the first HIV/AIDS case was identified in Ghana, the disease has become a real epidemic, adding that it is estimated that there are currently more than 500,000 reported cases of HIV-infected Ghanaians.

Giving a frightening scenario on the dreaded disease, she said 400 people get infected everyday, adding that most of these are women. About five per cent of the country's adults live with HIV, and by the year 2005, 1.2 million people will be infected with the virus.

"These are sobering figures, which should make all Ghanaians sit up and take action to address the problem effectively." Mrs Clarke-Kwesie noted that a decade ago, the Ministry of Health initiated a national AIDS Control Programme to promote public awareness of HIV and its mode of transmission.

This initiative did not, however, take on board some of the stakeholders, including employers and women and youth organisations and, therefore, the necessary follow-up action did not materialise.

She said although Ghanaians are aware of the disease, they have not changed their attitudes about sex, noting that since HIV is regarded as a health problem, not much has been done by the other sectors in respect of attitudinal change towards sex.

The Minister said the report on the review of the national response to the HIV epidemic in Ghana conducted in 1998 proposed an effective strategic response, including the issue of gender equality, access to crucial social service such as education and health.

"Addressing these fundamental issues is crucial for a sustained response to the HIV epidemic in terms of more effective prevention, care and support". She suggested that since women are more at risk and also get infected at an earlier age, it is imperative that programmes are focused on educating women on HIV, giving them skills and changing their behaviour and attitudes to sex.

Mrs Clarke-Kwesie noted that in countries like Thailand and Uganda, where innovative approaches based on the country's specific experiences have been used, HIV infection is on the decline.

"It is, therefore, important that all stakeholders, including the public, non-governmental organisations, relevant sector ministries and religious bodies collaborate to evolve and implement a programme that will incorporate specific cultural practices that facilitate the spread of HIV/AIDS," she said.

Mrs Clarke-Kwesie quoted statistics indicating that between 75 per cent and 82 per cent of sex workers in urban areas are HIV positive and the prevalence among women and men are two to one.

"If urgent action is not taken to stem the spread of the disease, we would be faced with the spectre of whole communities wiped out of adults and our trained manpower falling victim to HIV/AIDS, " she warned.

She, therefore, called on the National AIDS Control Programme to intensify its educational and advocacy strategies and target them to identifiable groups to deepen the awareness of what HIV/AIDS means and the havoc it is wreaking in the country.

The Minister acknowledged the government's action against factors that influence the prevalence of the disease, saying the government has made resources available for the control programme.

She said access to education and health is on the increase and programmes aimed at poverty reduction are on track, adding: "let us support these programmes to reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS".

"Mr Speaker, women are concerned about HIV/AIDS. We call on our men folk to also show some concern. We need to fight AIDS together or perish together," she said.