Ghana, Accra National reports on progress made in the implementation of the Beijing platform for action

GHANA, ACCRA

NATIONAL REPORTS ON PROGRESS MADE IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

BEIJING PLATFORM FOR ACTION

au Es-rION NAI RE

PART ONE:

OVERvrEW OF TRENDSINACHIEVING GENDER EQUAUTY AND WOMEN'S

ADVANCEMENT

In Ghana, since the declaration of the Jnternational year of women in 1975 and also the establishment of the National Council on Women and

Development,

Ghana's Machinery on Women, remarkable progress has been made towards addressing both practical short term needs and strategic long term needs of women. The NCWD formulated a ten and fifteenyearplan of action towards the advancement of women in 1975 and 1985 respectively. This plan of action identified activities to be undertaken in the areas of education, employment, health and legislation in Ghana. Since after the fourth World Conference in Beijing, China in 1995, a~!'1solidated NationalPlan was developedbased on a review of previous year's:plans of action, the Nairobi Forward looking strategies, the African and the Global Platforms of Action and DecJarations and resolutions of other Intematlonal conferences such as the World Summit for Social Development, the International Conference on Population and Development and theCitySummit on Habitat

The Ghana Plan for Action for implementation of the Beijing Platform covers the following priorityareas considered very crucial in ensuring socio-economic and political emuncipation of women and towards the furtherance of the goals of gender equality and advancement ofwomen.

• Poverty and Economic structure

- Education and the Girl

Child

- Health

and

Environment

~ Power-sharing and decision making

.. Violence. Peace and Human Rights

~ Mechanisms for

the

Advancement

of

Women.

- Women in the media.

The Pian for Action indicated

strategies.

expected

targets

and responsible organisations and collaborative partners. Soon afterBeijinga brief on the Beijing Conference! the Beijing Declaration and the critical areas of concern was submitted to Cabinet. Government accepted the

report.

and indicated its commitment to the implementation of the Beijing Platform of

Action. Appropriate

programmes and projects we.re designed to implement the recommendations within the Ghanaian institutional environment in order to enhance women's capacity

to

develop their full potential. Examples of such programmes are poverty alleviation programmes, ^ccmicro-credit facilities for women and educational and legal reforms.

A lot have been achieved in

the

area of gender

equality

and advancement of women since atter the Beijing Conference. The Government of Ghana demonstrated its commitment towards the implementation in

many

concrete ways.

First, the National

Machinery

on

Women and

Development (NCWD) organised a

~~,Jl~~r:«n~~~uli R§IA,~J1~SAij~l q!lJ11rulM, YYP~61(jR. n~ ~QnfB~

Action covered strategies for implementations of the critical areas of concern

2

and also i~e,-"tifiedMinistries and key sectors responsibJe for implementation of various specific actions.

A committee was co~_ti~uted ^{under the}

leadership

of H.E. the First Lady of Ghana_l NanaKonaduAgyeman-Rawlings toC!~~ ~n Affirrnativ~ _~~ion proposal to Government askingfor 40% representation of women on all Policy-making Bodies. The proposal was accepted in principal by government foUowed by a statement pledging 40% representationofwomen on all decision making bodes.

The Cabinet of

Ghana having carefully considered and studied proposals and

recommendations for Affirmative Action, issued a ~U!te!D~r-t._ot p~I.._~~y

and

provided a_~~t_<.?f_ gUi~elinesfor the systematic end sustained implementation of the various aspects of Affirmative Action towards equality of rights and opportunities for women in Ghana.

As

such, Government has undertaken to establish amoreclear-cutadministrative frameworkfor handling women's affairs and to enhance the status ofthe National

Machinery.

There shallbe at the

apex

of Administration within theExecutive arm of Government,an officer who will be charged

with

handling women's affairs. The officer shall liasie

with

a permanent desk at the National Machiner1s Headquarters to deal with the Implementation of this policy on Affinnative Action.

All Ministries,

Departments and Agencies shalt have Women's Desk or appoint Focal Persons' to ensure that prompt

action is taken on issues concerning women.

A nin~-member committee on Afflrmatlve Action which will monitor the over-all implementation. of thepolicy on Affirmative Action is being constituted. The work of the Committee will also entail C<?Uation of information on profiles of current and potential women public officials. The committee will also identify areas of work.p?licywhere Affirmative Action is needed

To ensure appropriate

representation

of women on all advisory bodies.

Government Is committed to the facilitation of access by women to highest decision makingfora. To the extent that is immediately possible, more women wi!_I ..be appointed to all Govemment and Public Boards, Commissions, Councils, Committees and official bodies, including Cabinet and the Council ofState. The Committee on Affirmative Action will evaluate all vacant positions in the public sector and Insist, as far as practicable, on the 40% quota for women. Constant

monitoring

by the Committee will ensure appropriate

replacements

on

these.

bodies Where resignations_t and natural attrition have faken their toll. The

Committee will also assist in eliminating aU other forms of

discrimination

against

women, includingthe slanted

wording

of advertisements for vacant positions.

In the area ofgendermainstreaming, the

new

administrative frameworkand the

presentation

of

more

women

on the

representation

of more women on Advisory

bodies will go a long long toensure the malnstreaming ofwomen's issues. The net effectwill bethat women's issues wiltbe more forcefully articulated at policy levels. The policy guideline acknowiedges the contribution of women who constitute more than 50% of the population to development, as such, the

National Machinery will

be

resourced to pJay an important coordinating role.

There are already in

existence

in

the

country certain labour

laws

and Institutions wh,ch VJ!II be str.engthened andcoordinated by the NBtional Machinery to enable them create the

necessary

awareness that will promote the attainment of the projected changes and goals.

The~ffirmative

Action policy

wiltalso Initiate action forcrediblerepresentation of

women in

Parliament.

In this regard,

the

National

electoral

Commission

_(N~r\

.... ,-:', _~~sked to

encourage

all political

parties

to put up

more women

as

J;.,... ... , +,..~ ...

;..ro--:" : __:: ^~~• _ ~nQ uJ~\, tnr rnA tamet aT at least 4U"b

4

representation In Parliament. To ensure adequate representation of women at district and sub-district levels of AdminIstration, the policy guidelineswill ensure that at the local level District Assemblies have 30% representation of_{, -- --. -- - ~ ~.,- ,.'~..'.-} women.

, -- - - _. -

To achieve this target, the National Commission on Civic Education (~CCE)will

--~-.-'.'--' ..-

be charged to create the necessary awareness on the importance of women offering themselves as candidates whilst at the same time embarking on

a

campaign to educate the electorates on the_ _ _ ... - . . ... _ . _ ••~,_~ ~• • , ~_~ • _'1- election of more women to such places as Parliament, District Assemblies and UnitCommittees. In pursuance of these, the Nationsl Machinery (NCWD) will be resourced to_{<'--._.}implement_~ the

J _ _ 9 ' _

Commisston's effOrts in the creation of political awareness

amongst women to enable them take advantage

of

the choices and

opportunities

available to them.

Another major ~chievement towards gender mainstreaming is the development of a gender

policy

document and a strategy framework for reducing gender

", - - . _ . --~".'._~.,. ^- ,_._~~.~ ^Wo'•

imbalances in society. The need for a gender strategy for development, a.~?Iicy fra~_~ork cannot be over emphasized. The gender strategy

policy document

is i~the process of being finalised. As a result of this initiative, other sectors such as health, Education, Agriculturel the Trade Union Congress, the Public

Services

Commission

are developing Gender policy, documents for

their respective sectors

drawing

from the Boardpolicyguidelinesand strategies of the National Genderpolicy document.

The Gender policy document wi1l guide the National Machinery and other partners in

development

to coordinateand malnstrearngender and development programmes and activities.

in addition, a gender management system, a system for managing the Integra' parts in formulating, implementing and monitoring policy and programmes. The Commonwealth Secretariat initiated a process towards establishment of a gender management system in Ghana to be coordinated by the National Machinery. A team of consultants visited the country and had discussion with the National Machinery and key Ministries towards the establishment of the gender management system which if established will enhance the gender mainstreamfng process.

Another majorachievement is the commission of a research study on the nature and incidence of violence against women. The Research FIndings and a case studies on Violence Against Women are ready for dissemination to the wider public. A lot of awareness has been created. Women and chHdren who are harassed or treated violently are openly ta Iking. The print and electronic media are unveiling issues of violence. Ghanaian women participated actively in the

UNIFEM initiated launching of Campaign on Elimination of Violence Against Women. Ghana launched its campaign on

zs"

August 1998 foHowed

by

a period of activism (to commemorate the 50^th anniversary ot the United Nation's Declaration of Human Right) which 'WaS marked by seminars, Radio, Television programmes, protest march 10 present a resolution to Parfiament on issues of violence against women.

A number of administrative, policy and legal measures have been taken to curb the incidence of violence against women. The practice of Female Genitai Mutilation (FMG) and rItual slavery, and harmful widowhood rites practices have been outlawed in Ghana. Themarriageableage hasbeen fixed at 18 yearsto

stop chitd and forced marriages andto ensure the retention ofthe girl chHd in school. Anybody who violate these laws would be prosecuted. The_l~~on rape has been revised but there is more room for improvement and plans

are

ahead

----"_.-....

-

^-

to revisedjt'further and introduce n:uch more stiffer sentences.

The situattonofwomen and girls_hav~,..~~P!'?v.ed. Awareness have been created about the rights of women and girls and the fact that "Women's Rights are

Human R.ights

^{1/ .}

There

is

a

sustained

campaign

about the

need

to educate the girl ChiJd and women since education is key to empowerment. As such, the Gove~~~n~n1 ,pollcy_.guideline_,o>nimpl~fl1entation of Affirmati~eAction, outlined measures to makemoraeffective the education and training of girls and women.

The country's universities

ate

being

encouraged

to intensify their efforts in in!~~~.~c.irlg _~~nder courses _to sensitize students on the need for Affirmative Action and other relatedgender issues. Female hallsof residencelhostels have been increased to ensure increased intakeoffemale students in the universities especially University of Ghana ,Lagon. The Ministry of Education h~.s ~e_en

urged to designate more

schools

in the

rural areas

as science centres to enable

more students, especially girls, to benefit

from

science Education.

The Introduction of special Science, Mathematics and Technology Clinics has

---~•• ,.- " _ . - ~,y. . . . - . -

greatly enhanced the participation of girts in the area of science, mathematics andtechnology.

PART TWO

FINANCIAL AND INSTITUTIONAL MEASURES

The Government of Ghana demonstrated ifs commitment towards the implementation of the National Plan of Action aimed at improving the advancement of women in

general

and rural women in particular/ by its allocation of an amount of 215.4 miffion cedis under the 1996 bUdget for

7

Women Community and Development project to enhance women's economic status. Govemment also made available an amount of f?~e _~~iIIi~~.

(1.06,000_{1 0 0 01}000,000) cedis under the..~r.a..I-

..

fi~.~rtce .,~~~.eme ^through aU registered financial institutionsto womencustomersand groups delivering credit to women. Anotheron~_bilfionoecls was made availaote forfeasibi!.itystudyand for start-up expenses for the establishment of an ~!rika Wo~an_Bank (Ghana) limited aimed at enhancing women's access to credit and their economic

t::.., ..__.~..~..

empowerment under the 1996BUdget. ThesubsequentBudqetary allocations to the National Machinery for 1997. saw some improvement With the introduction

- . . • . . . . - ~p• • • • • • • -

of the newbudget system, the National Machinery budget comprehensively for three years and was allocated a toter sum of _29~ mill!on ceids t{)wards implementation of programmes and activities for 1.999. On the issue 91..C!edit facilities for women entrepreneurs. efforts were made to fink women to the traditional banking systems and various rur.al banks. Specific _cre~it.schemes were. designed to benefit women, some of these

were

credit rines under the Programmes of Action to Mitigate the Social

Cost

of Structural Adjustment (PAMSCAD) on women and an "Enhancing opportunity for Women in Development' (ENOWJD). Today ,?redit facilities available to women include, the Bank of

Ghana -

Credit scheme for

women

Entrepreneurs, Na_~i_9~~I_~o_~rd for S~all S~le Industries, Business Assistance Fund, Citj..~avings and Loans,

Rur~l.Bank Women1s Funds 20% allocation for specific programmes for women, Another credit Bank to be set up by the 31^st December Womanls Movement to support women international and bilateral donors have contributed financially towards

implementation

of the

Beijing

Platform for Action. _~NDP

and

WHO sponsored a ':.~~arch on the nature and incidence ofVi~JenceAgainst Women to

a

^{tune of about} ~o million cedis. UNICEF sponsored the translation and printing of the Beijing Platform for Action in five local dialectto tuneofabout 20 million cedis. _{U_Nf~A}

had

supported the

National Machinery

in many diverse ways to carry out

educational

and sensitization

programme

on population, family planning and

reproductive

health issues, UNFPA

also

sponsored partially this

Population Conference in New York.

. The Govemment has

established

a more clear-cut Admmistretive

framework

for handling women's affairs. The

Na~C?r'1~1 Machinery

on Women

and.

Development

is placed at the highest level possible within the

Government

Machinery of Governance. NCWD is under the office of the president and has dlrect

and indirect linkages with

key

Ministries. Departments and Agencies as well as with

Non..

govemmental

Organisations. At the apex of Administration within the Executive Arm of Government, an Qffjcer is charged with the responsibility of

handlIng women's affairs. I filA

_O"I~I

f111R!:l

_u~ WIUI !I J,JLIIHUIIUIH Duull . l ihl

NCWD Headquarters to deal

with

the implementation of the

policy

on Affirmative Action. All

Ministr~es,

Departments

and Agencies are mandated

to

create women's _~eskor focal persons to ensure that

prompt

action is

taken

on issues on implementation of Affirmatlve Action.

A

nine..

member

committee on

~ffirmattve

Action is

being constituted to be coordinated by the NatIonal Machinery. Other key existing institutions and structures are being strengthened and resourced to

facilitate implementation

of

the

Platform for Action and other

commitments made at other international conferences.

The Govemment of

Ghana

has taken

an

active role. in involving

NGOJ

s in planning and implementing

the NationaJ Action

Plan. About 200 NGO's are now

, -

registered

with NCWD

in

Accra alone.

The

NCWD

colJaborates and cooperates

9

with many NGOs.·" It also meets monthJywlth. them to _dial~ue and prepare gend~~ ~et1$itiye.mater:lal,s _~nd to'dissern~I'l,~tfJl accessible information^I through public _he~lth Cflmpaigns,.the _m~~ia,'reliable_,~unsemngand

the educational

system. NGOs_expert.is~ encompasses gender and development,

micro-finance

....... "'"...^,~

eeucsuon, mass media. technology»

business, entrepreneurship.

law

human rights, health, maternal and child-care, banking) and taxation. With the cottabOrat1on and support

of

these NGOs the NCWD has been able _1~ e!fect

~~Ucy

and legal changes towards addressing equality and women's advancement.

PARTTHBSti

lMPLEMeNTADON

OF

THE

CRITICAL

AR&A§

OF COticteRN OF

TijE

gElJlNG PLATFORM FOR ACTlQN

INNOVATIVE

POLICIES,

eRQGBAMMES. PROJE;CTS

AND

'GOOD PRACTICES

The new strategic

vision

of

the

^{NCWD since} the Oecade and the ^{4th World}

Conference in Beijing considers gender as a cross cutting issue in all government's actfvities and programmes.

It has become imperative to

!'"8tnstream

women~s i~8$

into

the

development

process and address gender dtsparitlesbetWeen men

and 'women in

atl

spheres

, _-I' ~'...~....-- •,<. • -

of

~~v~topment.

In

~e

pursuit

of sustainable

growth

and development, Ghana has embarked on a serious effortof planning for the future the nation

envisages.

The, Vision 2020 Ghana development policy_~rameworkaims at achieving gender , equality. '

A _ge~der

management.

system to monitor how gender is being

mainstreamed

. into government sector

poUcies

will also, be ·estabUshed with support from the

. ~

Commonwealth Secretariat.

.... ( " " - j " .r: " ~ ~^L

1heuovernment.tnrOUQn Ine N\"VVU JorrnUU:lt~ucUI I'\l;UUII ~·lC.~fI 111 WIISul1cnlun

. ,..r: (',_.r-:_;..:~' i7"'-~ ~7-'"!.,!,•..;., I--h,..\

NY'''' --- -- - __:.:~.:-._.::-:~ ~_~::~:"~! =~~!_ ~lJ ~rr!nt! !nn~ ~~nsttlve tCirgetS Tor

monitnrine and allocatina resources for imolementatlon. For 1997 .. _:9~~

pnorrty areas to oe aooressec ortJ ~vv~,

ty

{~u"l;Uii ^ar

Ie!

_a"'~~'

kr VI

_Y~;~I

education, ana gins, deCision making and women in public iife, lnstrtunonai strengtheningofthe NationalMachineryand Health.

.-he pian mcorporates

recommenaations

from Government ana NGO representatives which

met to develop

action plans on selected

areas

of concerns.

Aii Ministries are in the process of mainstreaming gender in their policies.

Ministries of Health, Agriculture~ Education are in the process of

finalising

ge,":,der polities withrespect to theirsectors. TheNational Board for Small Scale lndustriesl the TradeUnion Congress have alsoformulated their genderpolicies for implementation.

Other efforts

made

bythe Government to enhance the status of women include:

The law banning and aimfnaHsing female genital mutilation and observance of harmful widowhood rites and ritual slavery.

r:: • The establishment of legal aid services at little or no cost to poor women

enabling them access to the-justice system.

11

The establishment of the

Commission on Human Rights

and Administrative Justice to deal with issues of Human Right violations and ensure

Justice.

The fixing of the marriageable age

at

18 years and the amendment

of

the criminal code to ensure the protection of the rights of women and children.

Passage of the customary registration and divorce IB'NS which

provide

one standard form of inheritance to override the different customary \aws a measure to correct injustices sufferedby women and children.

The passage of the Labour Degree with provisions for maternity leave and also giving time off to nursing mothers.

The Review of the law on distribution of property acquired upon divorce to allow for more equitable distribution to women.

THE GIRL CHILD

To address the issue of spatial imbalance of girJs' access to education, a number of policy measures have been put in place. A women's desk has been established within the Ministry of Education, and a girl's education unit also established to deal with girls education. Other initiatives (worthy of emulation) such as scholarship

schemes

for deprived gin children, best teacher awards have been undertaken to correct spatial imbalance of girls' access to education.

A fixing of the marriagaable age at 18 years will ensure retention of girls in

scnoot

to pursue their education. The new educational reforms and the Free

compulsory Basic Education programmes are all geared towards ensuring gender parity in education and development general!y.

HEALTH

Women's health is increasingly being considered as

area

for improving the health status of the population. _{Wom_~~'_s} _

t4

^ealth Is. being incorporated in undergraduate and post-graduate eurrlcula. There have been

curriculum

revision for the medical_rnidwif~ry

and

nu~si~g

schools

as welt asfor

other

allied health professionals at all levels especiaUy in the field of reproductive and sexual health. inter-sectoral collaboration is considered crucial to ensuring availability of resources for the improvement of the health status of women.

Womenls health is a priority to the Ministry of Health. The reproductive health programmehas beenselected as one

of

the priorityhealthserviceinterventions.

The focus is on family planning services and essentiai and emergencyobS!etrlc care. C?hild health programmes have always been integrated with materna!

~eaIth programmes so that the child cannot be separated from the

mother.

There is a ~hift from Mother-child Health to Reproductive Health.

Key

issues being considered are adolescent health and male Involvement in reproductive health. Male specific family _pl~nning methods like the male condom and vasectomy are being promoted vigorouslythrough use of male dominant social clubs. The Ministry is promoting adolescent health in line with the National Population Policy, the National Reproductive Health services policy and

. ^{", ,"}

standardsanddraft Adolescent Reproductive Healthpolicy.

Notable achievements are in four main

areas:

1. Management1 institutional and human capacity building.

13

2. Qualityreproductive health care delivery.

3. Information Education,Communication (lEe).

4. Advocacy andsocial mobilisation

and

Operational Research.

In the area of Managemant₁ Institutional and Human Capacity Buildingl the Ministry of Health incollaboration with the privatesector developed

a

^'numberof

policy documents...^{- -} and protocols which^~ arebeing used as reference _m~te.rials^{;-"- ~~.}

andfor training. These include:

- TheNational Reproductive Heatthservice policy and standards.

- TheNational reproductiveHealth Protocols.

.. Draft child health policy and strategies.

.. Draft

self-learning

guide on selected

areas

in safe

motherhood.

Guidelines on singleUSAof needs and other skin piercing equipment and sterilizationfacilities.

The Planned Parenthood AseocietlonofGhana (PPAG) an NGOincollaboration with other private organsiations and the Ministry of health, devefoped an Adolescent Reproductive Health training manual in 1997 wtlich··has since been put to use.

14

. '''''':1

The Min\stry of Health has regularly held _bi-an~ual

conterences

for service managers and key service providers from the public and private sectors as a strategy for infOllTlation sharing and monitoring of the reproductive health programme activities.

Te~ established Regional _~~source teams for reproductive health have

been

trained to function in the regions and to

train

reproductive health service providers in the districts. About 350 health workers, comprising physicians, midwives public healthtechnicians andadministrators from all theregions have been trained_-

in

lactation

.-

^' management. Cross-sectionsof

media

^.- personnel^.

have

also been given an up date on breasting feeding promotion.

Over 1000, nurse midwives from the public and private sectorshave received in..

service training In family planning with focus on Inter..Uterine device (IUD) insertion.

A

significant

number of ~~s

and

Traditional Healers

have

been

trarned

in safe

motherhood skills and

infection

control respectively.

issue ofelderly people^have began to receive attention.

A national policy on the aged is being

prepared.

A number Of NGOs

and associations have raised awareness to issues

associatedwith ageing and

some

have specified programmes dealingwith practical matters. Government has also , instituted a free medical care

scheme

for elderly people which became

operational in 1998.

15

instituted )3/free medical care scheme for elderly people which became

ope~tiona'

^{in 1998.}

PHYSICALLYCHALLENGEp PERSONS

In the area of disability. steps were taken by the Govemment recently to ensure their effective integration in society. The Ministry of Youth and Sports for example organises games annually for people with disaoiJities and is helping to make facflltles available to support similar moves. Special schools for the hard at hearingand thosewith visual impairments have been established and existing ones improved.

AIso₁ there is a special on-going programmes to encourage some tertiary educational Institutions to provide for thetraining of people with disabilities.

COAUTtON ON GENDER

There is aJso a "Gender

Coalition

that

seeks

to secure the support and

commitment of policy makers, opinion leaders. programmers on the Affirmative Action policy developed as a Post Beijing activity. It also supports on-going lagal reforms, enactments 01new Jaws and for amendina old and nAO::ltJvA l::Iwq

In order to protect the rights of women and girls1 with specific

reterencsto

their health] economic and educational opportunities, lnherftance,

marriage,

divorce, personal ownership of property, land tenure, harmful traditional practices, sexual violence. A positive example here is that intensive advocacy and lobby since the ICPO and Beijing led to abolition of Female Genital Mutilation in the country.

Further advocacy is needed to intensify the efforts to achieve the effective implementation oflawsat the community levels.

WOMEN IN DECISION MAKING

Initiatives have been taken to promote the participation of women at policy and decision making levels. The number of women Parliamentarians have increased

l6

! I

from

16

to 18 out of

200. With

sponsorship from

ODA

now Department for lntemational DeveJopment (DFID), three institutions

namelv

theNational Council on Women and Development, the Institute of Statistical and Sociel, Economic Research and the Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA have implemented the Women In Public life Project. The Institute of Statistica' and Sodal, EConomic Research completed a majo.f research on the situation of women in decision making. GJMPA identified and developed relevant training needs and NCWD disseminated theresearch findings to various institutions and government. While this will serve to concretise

demands

for Affirmative Action

it

will alsoserve asB majorsensitization andadvocacy endeavour.

Under the same programme, NCWD

has set up

a documentation centre. With further assistance from its cotlaboration with the National Population Council, a management information system will be set up to further

disseminate gender

and development data, to enhance its mainstreamlng efforts and disseminate best practices aswell.

A directory on

women in decision making Is being developed

along side a

directory of women with leadership qualities at the grassroots level.

A programme of interaction between adolescents and women's groups which

began to

identify acceptable modalities for delivery of

reproductive

health education as part of school curriculum is to dovetail into the Women in Public Life and mentorship programmes. At these fora, youth with pUblic speaking abilities and leadership skills wiHbe exposed to further training and mentorship and they will serve as peer advocates.

17

MEDIA DISSEMINATIQN WOMEN AND THE MEDIA

In the area of media dissemination ofthe Platform for Action,

some

remarkable achievements have been made. The Association of women in the media and

"---~ ~~

women in Broadcasting d~~~. ~_.p.r~~~~e for implementation of the Beijing critical area of concern on women and Media. The Associa1ion int~~.~.j,~~ed their activities and programmes and brought to_ . ~ _ _, ~_.light~ v _issues of rape and child abuse__~,,_ , _

and violence against women. Gingles, photo exhibition and Television

'-~-' .~,

programme to sensitize the puotlc about the need to curb the incidence of VIOJAneaygYUIYLWUflU::~ll W~Il!

useu

Tlte"lJ lIuv~ ~UllululutJdob.t••-rrhi.h ^hlWi

given weight to various recommendations made towardsreviewingthe rape laws and other laws

that impact negatively on

women

and children.

The Associ~i~nofWomen in Broadcasting has ,~!!t~~children's exposure to news reading! and presentations of programmes on television thus grooming them to have a better appreciationofj~~alismas a profession.

, ,_ !o".r"

POST BEIJING QUTREACH PROGRAMMe;i

Various sensitization and awareness programmes are in placeon issues such

. . . . n., . ' • - • • - - •

as violence against women using drama orPOPul~rtheatre.

..'

A number of such proqramrnes and wo~hops were organised throughout the country to highlight the twelve critical areas ofconcern. ..Le~ats on the critical areas of concem were produced and distrIbutedin all the'Regions and districts

, " . It,

.~

"

^...

'-,

.I'

,I<'

~'

"'"

~

..

as a major networking tool for NCWO and its collaborating women's groups and organisations. Media professionals serve on its editorial board.

Under the auspices of the NCWD⁷ Peace Marches were organised in collaboration with women's organisations to usher in the 1996 elections.

IMPLEMENTATION OF CONVENTION ON THE EUMINATfON OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATIONAGAINST WOMEN.

A 'r"dciufldl

~u~'ufifl'ilrli~ ^en C~OAVV ^was

iauncnec In

AprIl 1Ytr/ to

monitor

the impfementation of the convention on women's rights, the implementation of the Affirmative Action as well as

serve

as

watch-dog, on

women'shuman rights in collaboration with other human rights bodiessuch as the Commissionon Human Rights and Administrative Justice.

THE ECONOMY AND POVERTYALLEVIATION

Ghana Government continues to implement pilot programmes in which women beneficiaries havea~s to revolvingloanson soft termsforincome generating activitiessuch as oil processing. A hollstic programme approach is adopted a(n:i such support activities as formation and education 011 reproductive health and family wen..

being,

business

management,

non-formal education, sanitation are facilitated incoflaboratinn with r~l~v~n+ ?-~~~~~~. ~':' ~=;::~~':~ ~:. tc ~;j~.';';-.~

beneficiaries ability to make informed Hfe cnoices. 1 nese projects are

Tun6e= u,

-:;U/-=IIIIII~1^f{

oi Gnana ana tne

United Nations Fund for Pooufation Activities.

A survey has indicated thatalthough many of the beneficiaries have passed their 11J~!:ge~~seand outslde the reproductive age, as group and

may n?t

use the information themselves they have become credible and reliable e~~tors

to

their own children and their communities.

OBSTACLES ENCOUNTERED

1. One major chaHenge the National Machinery faced in the implementation of

the Beijing critical areas

of

concern is financial, human and material resource

~~_-.-.~a.I ..~.~...~- • re:"l'-' ,,_ ... , . .,_

allocation.

't.~~_-,..~.-.' • , •.-

This challenge was met with support from

some

donor communities

like

UNFPA, WHO, UNICEF and UNPA to

augment

Government's budgetary aUocation

2. The human....

_

^....-_.,..",,,.,~resource.~~ -- - -

constraints are

, -.-- - being resolved.

Staff

who left as a result of poor conditions of service have been replaced. The_...-.. National

Machinery

~'-~--

also makes use_of"1-...-;~••_. ,...-1..~ ~xp~rtise• ^{of NGOs}_

at

the

regional

and district

levels

to

reach

Ci-,iicLCf,';'ot_

out to rural women.

3. Another challenge is thatofchallenging sOcieta!._~i~~d~s^andperceptions about men

and women

and

ensuring

gender

balance in development.

It too~ atot of

educanonal

and sensitizational

programmes

to

create

j.'~- " ' -• ~.

aw~reness among the general public about the need

to

develop

potential

of

women and girls to

the

fult of

the total

development

of

the whole Nation. To

our :fforts are b...

~~~ingfruit

^and Government has come up with a

~oticy

^guidelines

for implementationOfan

Affirmative

Action to ensure

genderbalance

at

an

^levels

of

decision making.

4. Another

cflaUer:toe

facedby the NCWDand

government

isthatof

empowering women economically through Incomegeneratingactivities ana jobs in order to reduce their poverty.

Over

the

past

decade Ghana's development policeshavebeen focusedon reversing the declinein the

economy and placjng majoremphasis on

macro~~no~i.~ PoUci~s

with the

objectivesof

- Increasing real incomes per head

- Achie~ir'g

increased

equitable

income

distribution

by

regions,

district

and

gender.

- Reducing the level ofinflationand budgetdeficits

- ImproVing the extemal balance of payment.

Though some progress was made, the gains were not translated into the desired standard of living of the average Ghanaian. Economic and structural reforms in general have had an adverse effect onthe poor and especially women. Efforts made to Improveconditionsof the

most

vulnerableare

com~rdecJ

^bythe

continuing

tJ.~gh_

rate

of

population

growth.

The

revelof adult illiteracy

is

still almost 40% concentrated mostly in the informal sector andthe ruralpopulation

end among women. Both

m.~!~al

and infant mortality rates are relatively high.

Population's._health Is also adversely affectedbyprotein: ener~W_ maJ!1L~~:-- aiii:Jdmla. vnarru n1\I:jna iotiirlttut::iici"r,t,;i~~ ^{VI I}iiif;incidenceof ~

IVIAID

anddrug aouse,

maJoritY oithose ulfected areme young aautts

ana

women.

To address Issues above,

_

^...

^_-

^.. . / . - . " ..

the

Government of Ghana

has

initiated the ~~nal Poverty Reduction programme as a major weapon for reduction of poverty in

- . . . _ " ' " • •~ . , ~._-... _ _ _,., _, _ . _~__ I . _ _~._.. .,_~_ 4~~.,,""A.IA

both rural and urban areas of the country. The objectives of the programme are to

- lmprove management

- Development of skills

- Set up social investment fund

- Make poverty reducing technologies more available.

- Improve the positionofwomen and the handicapped.

- I

mprovement in

social development

mechanisms.

To ensure that poor women benefit from the programme, a...

g.er:!d*:l~_

..

~ork.i~g

~:.~~p working group

has

~n ~s.t~p!.!~b~ to

ensure

that

programmes are

gender sensitive and meet the needsof

women.

....1

J\

The ending all forms

Of

discrimination and marginalization based on social

status, gender though would go a

long way

to eliminate some of the main causes of poverty remains a major-challenge.

Fulfilling such a taskwill require efforts at aU levels global, internanonat,

nationalism

regional, community and at the individual

levels.

-~-~~

AnothereauaUvdifficultcm~U!!noeis howto ensure thatthe benefIts oraconcmrc QI-I~ ~u~;~: ;;,,='::~!'": =~~ ~~\!~~I"\~l"\t~rQ (,(i~'~htJ.o~

et'!ultSJDly "n

fOr~s!::m-ft!rlher

, -.L

"II

d I ?

IMpOVtinSnmen[oT

me

poor an

power

ess.

He'll

can

V.'! ~r~\!Antfurtheri~verishment

from the AIDS pandemic, the millennium -problem, environmental degradation

~the

present menance

of

armed conflictand even nuclearwar and

the

mounting extemc:il debt which is crippling

poorer countries.

COMMITMENTS TO FUBJHEB ACTION AND INIDATNE&

1. Implementation

of

the international

Conference

on Population and

Devepmemt-Oedarations and Commitments and Plan

of

Action.

2. The Vienna Declaration on HumanRights.

3. TheAfrican Charter of people and Human Right.

4. The CEDAW Convention.

5. The UN Declaration on Elimination

of

Violence Against Women.

6.

The WorldSummit for Social Development.

fURTHER ACTIONS

AND

INIDATIVES TO "Be TAKEN TO FULLY

IMPLEMENT IHI;,PLAFOBM FQR ACnoN BEYOND THE YEAB 2OQ2

23

_ lncorporation of the remaining articles of the

Convention

on Elimination of all

Forms of

Discrimination

not ---

yet^...

incorporated

^{~ . .. , - ."} Intothe domestic

laws of

Ghana.

• Integrationof population

into development

planning as

essential components

ofGhana'S population policy.

Integration of reproductive health into_he~[thdelivery system.

.. The adoptionand implementationoftheop~~~~alProtccot to q~[)~Y.'!.

VISION FOR WOMEN'S

ADVANCMENT

AND EQUALITY FOR WOMEN IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

We can envision enormous social and politica' progress inthe yearsahead.

There are positive changes in

govemance

now

underway

in

Ghana,

a

democraticgovemment which tends to

respond

more to the public

demands

for basic servicesof

which

educationhealth andsanitation services are at the top.

Anotherfundamental shift isthe gendercause itself. women's issues are on the National, Regional and International agenda. The Governments isf~.ttIi!,ing it's commitments made at various internationalfora conceming the developmentof women. Women^ls rights are beingrecognised as Human Rights. The Ghana Vision 2020 medium term programme addresses issues of gender and

development and women's specific needs. TheCO~~~!!l}t,ion guarantees equal rightsforall. Government has issuedgUi9~'inestowards implementation of Affirmative Action to remove imbalances and ensure gender equality betNeen the sexes. The National Machinery on Women, NCWDis beingstrengthened and resourced to coordinate implementation of various initiative taken. Gender

issues are being malnstreamed in sector policies to be coordinated bythe National Machinery.

The_Girl~Udis being educated. Moregins are studying science and seience related sUbjeCtStoan extent trlat now men and boys are feeling threatened

by the pace at

which

women and girls are

developing.

We see a brighter future for women in

the

re« millennium inspite

of

the

challenges

ahead.

25