Lariba Zuweira Abudu (2nd from right), being assisted by Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko Amidu (2nd from left), Executive Director, Star-Ghana Foundation, to launch the Gender Rights and Empowerment Programme, while other officials look on. Picture: ELVIS NII NOI DOWUONA

Star Ghana Foundation launches three-year gender document

Delali Sika Gender Oct - 18 - 2022 , 08:34

A non-governmental organisation, Star Ghana Foundation, has launched a three-year Gender Rights and Empowerment Programme (GREP) to contribute to the access to quality social services for women and girls.

This would be achieved through civil society advocacy for women and girls' political and social rights, particularly rights to inclusive and quality social services participation in public governance.

The Deputy Minister and Minister-designate for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hajia Lariba Zuweira Abudu, who launched the programme noted that achieving women and girls' rights, in all dimensions, was critical to Ghana's socio-economic development.

" Women constitute the majority of Ghana's population and harnessing women's political, social and economic potentials will not only improve family and societal welfare and status but also the progress of our nation," she said.

Barriers

The minister stated that despite several policies and administrative provisions to promote women's political rights, women continued to be confronted with barriers to accessing and exercising their rights to equal participation in governance and decision making.

"For example, out of a membership of 275 parliamentarians in the 8th Parliament, only 40 are women, and out of 30 ministers of state, only six are women, and there is only one female among 16 regional ministers. Similar trends are seen regarding female metropolitan, municipal and district chief executives (MMDCEs) and district assembly members," she noted

GREP Project

The areas the GREP project would tackle include promoting women and girls' access to education and health services with focus on implementation of policies on girls' education, maternal and reproductive healthcare; promoting sexual health rights of women and young adults and facilitating access to family planning services; reducing incidence of child marriage and teenage pregnancy through awareness and education in communities and schools; and promoting gender sensitive school environment.

It would also look at the prevention and responding to gender-based violence through advocacy on the effective implementation of the Domestic Violence Act and access of victims/survivors to support mechanisms and access to justice.

Again, GREP will also strengthen mechanisms at community and school levels to build awareness, reporting and access to justice and it will advocate the passage of the Gender Equality Law (Affirmative Action), among others.