Ghanaian women lack knowledge about laws - NGO

Mr. Abu Dokuwie, Executive Director of the Centre for the Alleviation of Poverty, the Environment and Child Support (CAPAECS), has said some Ghanaian women lacked knowledge about laws that have been enacted to protect them from all forms of abuses.

Mr. Dokuwie said Ghana had done so well in the area of enactment of laws to protect women and children but implementation and enforcement had been a challenge.

This, he said, was the reason why women, especially those in the rural areas still had little or no knowledge about the existence of such laws as well as the agencies that had been mandated to see to their implementation and enforcement.

Mr. Dokuwie said this at an event to mark the International Women’s Day celebration in Vieri in the Wa West District.

It was under the theme: “Appreciating and Inspiring Women for Change: a Shared Responsibility”.

Mr. Dokuwie appealed to Agencies that had been mandated to see to the implementation and enforcement of such laws to show more commitment, adding that women could become more liberated and more productive if they knew and at the same time able to access such laws for justice.

Mr. Dokuwie stated that CAPECS through the Girl Power Project was working to empower girls and young women with knowledge and skills to shape their own lives, improve their economic participation, protect them against all forms of violence, and enhance their post-primary education as well as socio-political participation.

He said this year CAPECS would focus on how to expand opportunities for women especially skills training and support for women in agriculture by way of linking them to sources of inputs, processors and buyers.

Madam Charity Bature, Upper West Regional Gender Desk Officer, announced that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is working on an affirmative action bill that would enhance women participation in decision making at all levels of society.