MUSIGA, Ipas create reproductive rights awareness
THE Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) and Ipas-Ghana have organised the first in a series of seminars to educate musicians and other industry stakeholders on women’s reproductive rights at the MUSIGA head office in Accra.
Held on the theme, Women’s Reproductive Rights - the Role of Musicians, the seminar was attended by a cross-section of artistes.
The General Secretary of MUSIGA, Deborah Freeman, in a welcome address, said there was the need to create awareness among musicians as a way of empowering them to create works that promoted women’s reproductive rights.
Advertisement
The MUSIGA President, Bice Kuffour, urged musicians to handle the matter of women’s reproductive rights with tact and urgency since there were benefits for both the artiste and society at large.
“We have mothers, we have sisters, we have wives, we have girlfriends, “the MUSIGA president said to drive home the point about how women’s reproductive rights affect nearly everyone.
Founded in 2006 and based in Accra, Ipas-Ghana is a key voice in a national coalition of various stakeholders united to reduce maternal deaths and injuries.
The outfit advocates for women to have access to a full range of reproductive-health services, including family planning and safe abortion.
The Country Director of Ipas-Ghana, Dr Koma Jehu-Appiah, touched on the need for safe abortion and the reduction of stigmatisation associated with abortions.
He indicated that under the laws of Ghana, abortion is legal in some situations and can be undertaken at legally- designated places.
This point was corroborated by Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa who was a resource person at the seminar. He urged musicians to use their creative skills to champion issues pertaining to women’s reproductive rights issues.
The Programmes Manager of Ipas, Dr Pearl Allotey, urged musicians who intended to tackle the matter of women’s reproductive rights in their works to liaise with MUSIGA to determine how they could collaborate with Ipas.
The Deputy Minister for Tourism, Culture and Creative Industries, Dzifa Gomashie, shared a story of a young lady who had an illegal abortion that resulted in her death.
She, therefore, endorsed the MUSIGA initiative to equip its members with the right knowledge to create songs that highlighted women’s reproductive rights issues.
