Ghana applauded at UN Session for protecting women, children

Ghana has been applauded for its commitment to ensure gender equality through the promotion of the welfare system and protection of children, whiles empowering the vulnerable through social interventions.

Delegates attending the 57 Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at the UN headquarters in New York, applauded Ghana after the delivery of the nation’s progressive legislative and social intervention programme by Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The Minister outlined Government’s interventions through the enactment of laws such as the Children’s Act, Domestic Violence Act, Human Trafficking Act, amendment of the criminal offences act, and criminalization of violence against women and girls.

She noted that customary servitude had been crminalised, whilst sentences for FGM had been increased, and that these formed part of holistic social, and legal interventions adopted by the Ghanaian Government to ensure gender mainstreaming.

Nana Oye Lithur noted: “Ghana has also set up a Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit under the Ghana Police Service with the establishment of over 97 offices located across the country for prompt interventions.

“The Judiciary and Government have also set up two specialist gender based violence courts in the national capital, Accra, and at Kumasi in the middle-belt.

“Shelter for survivors of domestic violence in Accra, the creation of anti-domestic violence clubs, training of police personnel and health care providers on domestic violence issues, as well as social welfare officers being equipped to handle such issues”.

Nana Oye Lithur who spoke on the topic “The follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and the 23rd Special Session of the General Assembly on Women 2000; Gender Equality, Development and Peace for the 21st Century,”  said in spite of operational challenges Ghana was committed to ensuring gender mainstreaming.

She said the elected President of Ghana, Mr John Dramani Mahama, since assuming office in January had demonstrated the government’s commitment to adhering to issues affecting every sector of the economy including gender.

“The President therefore expanded the scope and mandate of the then Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. We now have Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to ensure gender equality, promote the welfare and protection of children and also empower the vulnerable through social protection interventions”.

The Minister noted that government had also noticed that in spite of the measures adopted to ensure gender equity, some operational and administrative systems had hampered the full implementation of the interventions at various stages.

She noted: “As a government we acknowledge these challenges and work has started to surmount them, including increased provisions of facilities and support for survivors, expansion of the cash transfer programme to include survivors and enhanced anti-human trafficking mechanisms to protect children, scaling up involvement of men and boys in programmes.

“We are also empowering girls and utilizing data and research to target causes of gender based violence…we are working on enhanced technical support and forensic capacity to improve investigations and prosecution, and the adoption of a policy framework to address gender based violence in the healthcare sector”.

She said the government of President Mahama was committed to ensuring that women, children, the youth, and larger sector of the people were given equal opportunity and protection from all forms of violence to ensure that Ghana progressed.

Nana Oye Lithur, is the leader of the Ghanaian delegation made up of Members of Parliament, representatives from the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the media.

The priority theme for this year’s Session is “Elimination and prevention of all forms of Violence against Women and Girls”.

The Minister has also participated in the consultation of Commonwealth National Women’s Machineries, which is being organsied on the sidelines of Sessions of the CSW by the Commonwealth Secretariat, to provide opportunities for the Secretariat to brief National Women’s Machineries (NWMs) and partners on achievements and challenges towards the implementation of the Commonwealth Plan of Action for Gender Equality, 2005-2015.

The CSW was established in June 1946 as a mechanism to promote, report on and monitor issues relating to the political, economic, civil, social and educational rights of women.

It holds annual sessions in March to evaluate progress made in protecting and enforcing the rights of women globally.

Source: GNA