Women's Manifesto celebrates one year in Ghana

Accra Sept. 4, GNA - The Coalition of the Women's Manifesto, a group of non governmental organizations that promotes women's right and gender equality has pledged continuous advocacy and campaign for the specific demands contained in the Women's Manifesto launched last year. The Women's Manifesto for Ghana is a document that gives different groups of women the chance to advocate and lobby from government and its agencies the stated demands for equal allocation and distribution of resources and create new situations to meet the challenges and threats towards gender parity.

Ms Hamida Harrison of the Abantu for Development, an NGO that supports women's rights made the statement at the celebration of the first year anniversary of the launch of the Women's Manifesto for Ghana. She said the coalition would advocate a collective and visible stand for rights of every citizen and for a fundamental shift in social attitudes and beliefs that support discrimination against women. The coalition would also strengthen the alliance with other groups especially the media, to bring the needed change.

Ms Harrison said women's equal participation in decision-making was very critical since without it sustainable development could not be achieved.

"Unless national policies are decided upon jointly by men and women with regard to interest and aptitude of both, development will remain a mirage," she added.

Ms Harrison pointed out those national implements like the Ministry of Women and children affairs, Women and Juvenile Unit, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justices and the National Commission for Civic Education lacked adequate human, financial and material resources. The Women's Manifesto, she said would continue to advocate and demand adequate funding of these institutions.

Ms Harrison appealed to the government to pass the domestic violence bill into law since that could help women make the difference and strengthen the country's democracy.

She said: "While we are concerned about the slow progress of implementation, we are encouraged by the progress that has been made since the launch of the Women's Manifesto".

Mr Gyekye Tanoh of the Third World Network, an NGO, said the manifesto addresses inequality and injustices in our society that should be resolved He said it was important that different classes of women created solidarity between them to enable them to fight inequality against them, adding that inequality and injustices is central to humanity.