Western region celebrates Women's Day

Agona-Nkwanta (W/R) March.9, GNA- Mr. Kofi Adusei-Poku, Deputy Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, on Tuesday announced that the sector Ministry had prepared a draft gender policy to help in the formulation of policies and initiatives on women.

He said this at this year's celebration of the International Women's Day in the Western region, which had as its theme: Women, Gender and HIV/AIDS at Agona-Nkwanta.

Mr. Adusei-Poku said the policy was part of the efforts of the Ministry to address challenges facing women in "their quest to develop their potential in order to become equal partners with men".

He said his Ministry and The Girl-child Education division of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports have over the part three years, helped to focus national attention on the situation of women and children so that sustainable national solutions could be found.

Mr. Adusei-Poku said at the same time, some concrete initiatives have been taken to help address some of the challenges of women. He said the initiatives included the establishment of a Women's Development Fund to assist the economic empowerment of women.

Mr. Adusei-Poku said the Ministry has also drafted domestic violence bill, which has been translated into some key vernaculars and is presently been discussed by the public before it would be placed before parliament.

He urged all stakeholders who seek women's empowerment and development to soberly reflect on issues that negatively affect women, adding that, as a people "we have over the centuries evolved this women friendly attitudes and we need to commit ourselves to change".

Mr. Adusei-Poku said heads of families should examine and commit themselves to eschew those tendencies that lead to negative incidents of domestic violence.

"We all need to evolve safe sex practices and educate our younger generation on the merits of abstinence", he said. He said the theme for the celebration, indicate the government's concern about the increasing infection of HIV/AIDS and the inability of people to change their attitudes to overcome the problems posed by the disease.

"Our HIV/AIDS statistics and the gender dimensions are disturbing", he said, adding that, the rate of infection among women is higher than men although the spread of the disease is largely through sexual relations.

Mrs Esther Pepseh, Deputy Western Regional Focal Person on HIV/AIDS, said workers who have contracted HIV/AIDS should not be dismissed but should be allowed to work until the disease was severe on them. Landlords, she said, should also refrain from ejecting tenants living with the disease.

Mrs Pepseh said the disease is like other diseases for which cure has not been found and its transmission is through sexual contact and not bodily contact.

She said education of the girl-child is another way of checking the spread of the disease among women.

Madam Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Regional Minister, who presided, asked parents to assist to educate children about the disease and the dangers of early sex and pre-marital sex.