Article: Salome Donkor
One woman who has made people of the Sissala East Constituency proud is Hajia Rafatu Halutie Alhassan Dubie. Her success in politics mirrors the rise of women in politics and a positive step in bringing women in her constituency into the limelight.
Hajia Dubie, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Sissala East, who unseated the incumbent People’s National Convention (PNC) MP, Mr Moses Dani Baah, to become the first female MP for the constituency, has also been vetted and approved by Parliament as a Minister of State at the Office of the President.
Until she became an MP, the 61-year-old First Deputy Regional Women’s Organiser of the NDC, who is one of the 20 women in the country’s 230-member legislature, served in various capacities at the Tumu Hospital in the Upper West Region, and retired as a Deputy Chief Medical Assistant of the hospital in 2007.
She was an appointed assembly member of the Sissala District Assembly from 1994 to 2000 and elected the Presiding Member of the same assembly between 2000 and 2001, after which she contested for the Sissala East seat on the ticket of the NDC and lost in the 2004 parliamentary elections.
Determined not to allow her performance in that election to stifle her efforts, Hajia Dubie put the past behind her and contested for the same seat in the 2008 election and defeated the incumbent MP.
On average women constitute only 17 per cent of representatives in parliaments across the world, and Rwanda is the first country in Africa to meet the 50 per cent quota as stipulated in the African Union (AU's) Protocol to the African Charter on Rights of Women in Africa.
Achieving an improvement in the representation of women in politics and decision-making had been one issue that had attracted the attention of gender advocates and women rights groups
During the 2008 elections the Women in Law and Development (WiLDAF) Ghana consistently highlighted the need for the various political parties to work with their women’s wings and women’s rights groups to put in place affirmative action to address the abysmal performance of women in the parliamentary elections, under its “We Know Politics” project.
WiLDAF maintains that the country needs affirmative action to step up the exposure of women to the public political positions. That assertion challenges her with an awesome responsibility of making the voices of her constituents heard in parliament.
During the elections, there were specific activities and statements from women's groups to political parties to field more women in safe seats, as there were others to directly strengthen individual women's capacity to stand and win seats as parliamentary candidates.
The Women's Manifesto Coalition hosted by ABANTU for Development also initiated actions supported by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), ActionAid, Frederick Ebert Foundation FES and others in support of that goal.
One significant outcome of the 2008 elections is the appointment of the first female Speaker of Parliament, in the person of Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, to preside over the sittings of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic. That action had been described by women rights advocates as historic and a plus in the country’s democratic process to inspire more women to serve in decision-making positions.
To demonstrate the NDC government’s commitment to gender equality, President Atta Mills stated in his maiden State of the Nation Address to Parliament: “We will revise, adapt and implement our Affirmative Action Policy for Women of 1998, making sure that we have incorporated the key demands of the 2004 ‘Women’s Manifesto for Ghana’ as well as those of other political parties consistent with our women’s empowerment agenda.
Furthermore, it is heart-warming to know that there are eight women out of 35 ministerial nominees, who have been vetted and approved by Parliament. They are Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs; Mrs Juliana Azuma-Mensah, Minister of Tourism and Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
The rest are Ms Hannah Tetteh, Minister of Trade and Industry; Mrs Sabah Zita Okaikoi, Minister of Information and Ms Sherry Ayittey, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology; Hajia Rafatu Halutie Alhassan Dubie, Minister of State, Office of the President, with Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe as the Central Regional Minister.
The deputy ministerial appointments announced by the President on Monday included five women.
Ghana also boasts the first lady Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina Theodora Woode, who was appointed in 2007 and the first lady Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang. These could be described as positive steps to improve women’s participation in governance and decision-making.
Asked to comment on the challenges that confronted her while contesting for the 2004 and 2008 parliamentary elections, the soft-spoken Hajia Dubie said although it was not easy, she was able to win the seat in 2008 because she had served the people and became familiar with their needs. She said she was prepared to withstand the frustrations that confront her as a woman in the areas of financial constraint and gender discrimination and encouraged herself by urging the people to appreciate the need to respect the views of women, who constitute over 50 per cent of the nation’s population.
She said her position as an MP and a Minister of State entails two things, namely to serve her constituents and the nation at large, adding that she was determined to use her position to better the lot of women who suffer various forms of abuse and neglect.
She said she had organised a clean-up exercise in her constituency and also held meetings with various community groups and leaders to brief them on what could be done to advance the cause of development in the area, with their support.
She added that a lot could be done with her share of MPs Common Fund, the District Assemblies Common Fund, as well as working in co-operation with district assemblies.
She advised the people to keep their environment clean and organised regular clean-up exercises to curb the spread of disease.
The MP said one of her priorities was to identify young boys and girls who dropped out of school and encourage them to learn a trade so that they could go back to their various communities as responsible people.
She expressed her profound gratitude to the President and the people for the confidence reposed in her and resolved to work to justify the trust.
Hajia Dubie, whose maiden name was Rita N. Nandzo, was trained as a midwife and had pursued Women in Management Training, Town Community Interactive and Country Planning courses, as well as Integrated Management of Childhood Illness and Integrated Management of HIV and AIDS Anti-retroviral Therapy programmes in Tamale, Wa and Kumasi respectively.
She is also a member of the Sissala District Health Committee and a board member of the Tumu Teacher Training College. She had also served as a member of the Tumu Credit Union, Chairperson of Tumu Education Sub-Committee and as a member of the Mother and Child Care Committee.
Hajia Dubie is married with five children.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Let’s protect the rights of children
Article :Salome Donkor
The United Nations declared 1979 as the International Year of the Child, which was referred to as the 1979 Declaration. The declaration called upon countries, local authorities, civil society organisations and parents to recognise and strive for the protection of the rights of children.
The declaration also influenced the passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in November 1989 and Ghana responded positively to the initiatives of the United Nations in being the first country to ratify the convention.
The adoption of the CRC provides a clear statement prohibiting all forms of violence against children, reaffirming previous human rights instruments. It further spells out measures that must be taken to ensure that crime prevention and criminal justice practices are themselves not contributing to the re-victimisation of children, whether the children are victims or perpetrators.
Apart from ratifying the CRC, Ghana has a lot to talk about in relation to the enactment of laws and the establishment of rules and procedures for enforcing rights of the child and parental obligations, care and protection of children, as well as the adjudication of judicial and quasi-judicial matters affecting children.
In 1998, Parliament passed the Children's Act (ACT 560) which provided a list of enforceable children's rights and obligations of parents towards their wards.
With the passage of the Children's Act, the Ghana National Commission on Children (now the Department of Children) and other public and private stakeholders have the legal backing to fight for the cause of children in Ghana.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, a treaty which has been ratified by nearly every country in the world, states that children deserve a better environment and the highest standard of living possible.
However, the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy asserts that millions of children throughout the world are victims of violence. They continue to be abused, exploited and trafficked under different categories of violence to children, from abuse in the family and in institutions, to organised sexual abuse, including child prostitution, sex tourism and child pornography.
Proper child care requires that children are taken care of by family members to enable them to benefit from the love and warmth of their families. This is particularly important because children are the first and the most vulnerable to fall prey to environmental hazards.
In the urban poor, children are most disadvantaged and in Ghana, it is a common scene to see children, as young as eight years or sometimes even younger, selling ‘pure water’, lime, plantain chips, pawpaw, and confectioneries at the various traffic intersections, while some of them also aid physically challenged persons to beg for alms.
The risk confronting children who have become street hawkers at the Kasoa, Ayi Mensah and Afienya tolls booth, as well as other traffic intersections in the city, surpasses understanding. It is pathetic to see a number of children running dangerously on the streets and engaging in hazardous work such as hawking and carrying loads to earn income to fend for themselves. Some parents also engage in child trafficking, despite legislation banning the practice while some cultural practices are inimical to the rights and protection of children.
Reports of child rights abuse in the media over the last few weeks serve as a test case in the enforcement of laws and regulations protecting children.
Apart from the alleged incident of child abuse that occurred at the Peace and Love Orphanage in Accra recently, sources from the Department of Social Welfare indicate that three other orphanages have been earmarked for closure in the first quarter of this year for operating below standard.
Another incident of child abuse at an orphanage has been uncovered at Apowa in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region, according to a report in the February 13, 2009 edition of the Daily Graphic.
Social Welfare officials in the region allege that the Orphan Cray Home had become a centre from where the proprietor and her accomplices recruited children and gave them out as domestic servants and child labourers.
They said before they were given out, the inmates often went to school without food and were given 20Gp for feeding until they returned home late afternoon and sometimes were made to fast and pray for the whole day “to seek the face of God”.
This has warranted an investigation by the Western Regional Command of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) into the operations of the orphanage.
A report in the February 13, 2009 edition of the Daily Graphic about the conviction of a 58-year-old farmer, who lured a nine-year-old girl to a nearby cocoa farm and defiled her is heart-breaking. No wonder the presiding judge, Mr Kofi Akrowiah of the Akim Swedru Circuit Court who sentenced the accused to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour, described the incident as a nasty and a cruel act perpetrated by a man.
It was reported that the convict, Job Arthur jokingly called the girl ‘my wife’ and occasionally gave her coins but succeeded in defiling her on two occasions.
Yet another incident of child abuse was carried in the Daily Graphic of February 7. The story said several children at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region are engaged in the risky business of ferrying tourists across the Volta River in canoes that are not equipped with any safety gadgets.
Most of them operate the canoe services on the Volta River on Saturdays, Sundays, and during holidays, when tourists turn up in high numbers. They charge GH¢2 per person, which is far cheaper than the GH¢30 charged by the cruise boats operated by some of the hotels in the area. Some of the children said they had been doing the business for between three and five years.
Reacting to the alleged incidence of child abuse in some orphanages in the country, the Executive Director of Challenging Heights a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr James Kofi Annan reportedly called for proper investigations into the incidence that took place at the Peace and Love Orphanage.
He said what took place at the Peace and Love orphanage should be an eye opener to the Department of Social Welfare and the government to take a second look at the operations of all other NGOs, particularly those who claim to be for the welfare of the child, and ensure that those whose operations do not conform to the appropriate standard are closed down.
He urged the government to prosecute parents who neglected their basic parental duties.He said because parents and governments had neglected the responsibility of providing for needy children in the country, individuals had formed various NGOs, some of which are operated to the disadvantage of these unfortunate children.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Child’s Rights International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr Bright Appiah, has called for a thorough look into the operations of orphanages in the country.
He said information available to the organisation indicates that about 90 per cent of the orphanages in the country are operating far below standard. Also, only a few are registered with the Department of Social Welfare.
Mr Appiah said it was sad that most of the orphanages were sub-standard and that the focus should be on how to improve them.
That, he said, was to ensure that they met the increasing needs of the children sent to such facilities, adding that children in orphanages needed counsellors, among other support services, to be well-developed.
He noted that once orphanages operating below standards were identified they could be supported to do the right thing, and indicated that it would not be right to close down all such facilities.
The issues enumerated above and others that constitute abuse on the rights of the child deserve urgent attention, because the child cannot wait and it behoves the new Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, to honour her promise during the swearing-in of new ministers by the President, to work in collaboration with the relevant agencies and institutions, as well as ministries, to uphold the rights of women and children.
The minister reportedly said she would work in partnership with the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Youth, Employment and Social Welfare, Education and relevant bodies to overhaul her ministry and turn the fortunes of women and children around.
This really is a herculean task but not insurmountable, when tackled with commitment, dedication and steadfastness.
Parents also need to be empowered to enable them play their parental roles meaningfully to ensure that children have the opportunity to live in families with a loving caregiver for life and not in institutions that have mushroomed in parts of the country.
The United Nations declared 1979 as the International Year of the Child, which was referred to as the 1979 Declaration. The declaration called upon countries, local authorities, civil society organisations and parents to recognise and strive for the protection of the rights of children.
The declaration also influenced the passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in November 1989 and Ghana responded positively to the initiatives of the United Nations in being the first country to ratify the convention.
The adoption of the CRC provides a clear statement prohibiting all forms of violence against children, reaffirming previous human rights instruments. It further spells out measures that must be taken to ensure that crime prevention and criminal justice practices are themselves not contributing to the re-victimisation of children, whether the children are victims or perpetrators.
Apart from ratifying the CRC, Ghana has a lot to talk about in relation to the enactment of laws and the establishment of rules and procedures for enforcing rights of the child and parental obligations, care and protection of children, as well as the adjudication of judicial and quasi-judicial matters affecting children.
In 1998, Parliament passed the Children's Act (ACT 560) which provided a list of enforceable children's rights and obligations of parents towards their wards.
With the passage of the Children's Act, the Ghana National Commission on Children (now the Department of Children) and other public and private stakeholders have the legal backing to fight for the cause of children in Ghana.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child, a treaty which has been ratified by nearly every country in the world, states that children deserve a better environment and the highest standard of living possible.
However, the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy asserts that millions of children throughout the world are victims of violence. They continue to be abused, exploited and trafficked under different categories of violence to children, from abuse in the family and in institutions, to organised sexual abuse, including child prostitution, sex tourism and child pornography.
Proper child care requires that children are taken care of by family members to enable them to benefit from the love and warmth of their families. This is particularly important because children are the first and the most vulnerable to fall prey to environmental hazards.
In the urban poor, children are most disadvantaged and in Ghana, it is a common scene to see children, as young as eight years or sometimes even younger, selling ‘pure water’, lime, plantain chips, pawpaw, and confectioneries at the various traffic intersections, while some of them also aid physically challenged persons to beg for alms.
The risk confronting children who have become street hawkers at the Kasoa, Ayi Mensah and Afienya tolls booth, as well as other traffic intersections in the city, surpasses understanding. It is pathetic to see a number of children running dangerously on the streets and engaging in hazardous work such as hawking and carrying loads to earn income to fend for themselves. Some parents also engage in child trafficking, despite legislation banning the practice while some cultural practices are inimical to the rights and protection of children.
Reports of child rights abuse in the media over the last few weeks serve as a test case in the enforcement of laws and regulations protecting children.
Apart from the alleged incident of child abuse that occurred at the Peace and Love Orphanage in Accra recently, sources from the Department of Social Welfare indicate that three other orphanages have been earmarked for closure in the first quarter of this year for operating below standard.
Another incident of child abuse at an orphanage has been uncovered at Apowa in the Ahanta West District in the Western Region, according to a report in the February 13, 2009 edition of the Daily Graphic.
Social Welfare officials in the region allege that the Orphan Cray Home had become a centre from where the proprietor and her accomplices recruited children and gave them out as domestic servants and child labourers.
They said before they were given out, the inmates often went to school without food and were given 20Gp for feeding until they returned home late afternoon and sometimes were made to fast and pray for the whole day “to seek the face of God”.
This has warranted an investigation by the Western Regional Command of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) into the operations of the orphanage.
A report in the February 13, 2009 edition of the Daily Graphic about the conviction of a 58-year-old farmer, who lured a nine-year-old girl to a nearby cocoa farm and defiled her is heart-breaking. No wonder the presiding judge, Mr Kofi Akrowiah of the Akim Swedru Circuit Court who sentenced the accused to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour, described the incident as a nasty and a cruel act perpetrated by a man.
It was reported that the convict, Job Arthur jokingly called the girl ‘my wife’ and occasionally gave her coins but succeeded in defiling her on two occasions.
Yet another incident of child abuse was carried in the Daily Graphic of February 7. The story said several children at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region are engaged in the risky business of ferrying tourists across the Volta River in canoes that are not equipped with any safety gadgets.
Most of them operate the canoe services on the Volta River on Saturdays, Sundays, and during holidays, when tourists turn up in high numbers. They charge GH¢2 per person, which is far cheaper than the GH¢30 charged by the cruise boats operated by some of the hotels in the area. Some of the children said they had been doing the business for between three and five years.
Reacting to the alleged incidence of child abuse in some orphanages in the country, the Executive Director of Challenging Heights a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), Mr James Kofi Annan reportedly called for proper investigations into the incidence that took place at the Peace and Love Orphanage.
He said what took place at the Peace and Love orphanage should be an eye opener to the Department of Social Welfare and the government to take a second look at the operations of all other NGOs, particularly those who claim to be for the welfare of the child, and ensure that those whose operations do not conform to the appropriate standard are closed down.
He urged the government to prosecute parents who neglected their basic parental duties.He said because parents and governments had neglected the responsibility of providing for needy children in the country, individuals had formed various NGOs, some of which are operated to the disadvantage of these unfortunate children.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Child’s Rights International, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Mr Bright Appiah, has called for a thorough look into the operations of orphanages in the country.
He said information available to the organisation indicates that about 90 per cent of the orphanages in the country are operating far below standard. Also, only a few are registered with the Department of Social Welfare.
Mr Appiah said it was sad that most of the orphanages were sub-standard and that the focus should be on how to improve them.
That, he said, was to ensure that they met the increasing needs of the children sent to such facilities, adding that children in orphanages needed counsellors, among other support services, to be well-developed.
He noted that once orphanages operating below standards were identified they could be supported to do the right thing, and indicated that it would not be right to close down all such facilities.
The issues enumerated above and others that constitute abuse on the rights of the child deserve urgent attention, because the child cannot wait and it behoves the new Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, to honour her promise during the swearing-in of new ministers by the President, to work in collaboration with the relevant agencies and institutions, as well as ministries, to uphold the rights of women and children.
The minister reportedly said she would work in partnership with the Ministries of Finance and Economic Planning, Youth, Employment and Social Welfare, Education and relevant bodies to overhaul her ministry and turn the fortunes of women and children around.
This really is a herculean task but not insurmountable, when tackled with commitment, dedication and steadfastness.
Parents also need to be empowered to enable them play their parental roles meaningfully to ensure that children have the opportunity to live in families with a loving caregiver for life and not in institutions that have mushroomed in parts of the country.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Importance of cervical cancer screening
Article: Salome Donkor
The cervix of women which can be found in the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina, performs three main significant functions. It is necessary for conception, serves as a gatekeeper and produces mucus which serves as lubricant that provides a physical barrier and prevents infections in women.
Despite these important roles of the cervix, there are times when abnormal cervical cell changes may occur, rarely presenting symptoms. The symptoms become visible if those cells develop into cervical cancer.
The disease develops as a result of persistent infection into a cancer-causing virus, known as human papilloma virus (HPV). The virus is extremely common and easily transmitted from skin-to-skin contact in the genital area.
Addressing a training seminar for a group of journalists in Accra, Dr Linda Decker of Franklyn Medical Services, said although there are about 100 types of HPV, not all of them cause cervical cancer, adding that some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not present any symptoms.
She explained that 15 out of the 100 types of the HPV can cause cancer and out of this, only two have a high association with cervical cancer.
She said symptoms of cervical cancer may include bleeding from the vagina that is not normal or a change in menstrual cycle that cannot be explained, bleeding when something comes in contact with one’s cervix, such as during sex, pain during sex and vaginal discharge that is tinged with blood.
Medical experts say globally, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women under age 45 and it is the third leading cause of cancer death among women globally, after breast and lung cancers.
Approximately 270,000 deaths per year result from cervical cancer worldwide, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, cervical cancer is the dominant cancer and leading cause of cancer mortality in the region, causing slow and painful death among patients due to late diagnosis and lack of access to cancer treatment.
In Ghana, cervical cancer is one of the most frequent cancer types that affect women and the leading cause of cancer mortality. It is estimated that each year approximately 2,000 women will develop cervical cancer and 80 per cent will die from the disease.
Looking at the above statistics not merely as numbers but relating them to the suffering encountered by someone’s wife, mother, sister, daughter or friend helps to put the issue in a better perspective.
As a result of a public service initiative to equip journalists and make them ambassadors in the fight for women against cervical cancer, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSG), in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Ghana, organised the training programme for media practitioners drawn from both the electronic and print media in Accra.
Elaborating on women who were at risk of contracting the disease, she said sexually active women were at risk and that the risk began with a sexual debut, worsening with the early onset of sex and lasted throughout a woman’s lifetime.
She explained that using condoms did not offer full protection against HPV because penetrative intercourse was not the only means of transmitting HPV.
She indicated that the number of lifetime sex partners, age at sexual debut and current smokers were the risk factors.
Dr Decker said screening was important and should be done once a year but that was inadequate, hence the need to look at vaccination to eliminate the primary causes of the disease.
She also said because the spread of the disease is largely related to the relationship between sexual activity, abstinence is the best preventive measure.
Dr Decker asserted that in developing countries where adequate screening programmes were lacking, there was the need to work out sustainable screening programmes, adding that the disease was a major health burden for women in developing countries.
She said as part of a regular pelvic examination, every woman should have a Pap test during which the doctor scrapes a small sample of cells from the surface of the cervix to examine for cell changes.
She said if the Pap test showed abnormal cell changes, the doctor may do other tests to look for pre-cancerous or cancer cells and indicated that it was important to follow up to see the doctor after any abnormal Pap test result to treat abnormal cell changes and that may help prevent cervical cancer.
According to Dr Decker, in Ghana, screening is done at the major hospitals, namely, Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals in Accra and Kumasi, respectively, as well as the Tema General Hospital and the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
Mr Emmanuel Acquah of GlaxoSmithKline Ghana said the disease developed at various stages and depending on the stage of its development, it was either reversible or irreversible.
He said like other diseases, early diagnosis and treatment was the best answer.
The cervix of women which can be found in the lower part of the uterus (womb) that opens into the vagina, performs three main significant functions. It is necessary for conception, serves as a gatekeeper and produces mucus which serves as lubricant that provides a physical barrier and prevents infections in women.
Despite these important roles of the cervix, there are times when abnormal cervical cell changes may occur, rarely presenting symptoms. The symptoms become visible if those cells develop into cervical cancer.
The disease develops as a result of persistent infection into a cancer-causing virus, known as human papilloma virus (HPV). The virus is extremely common and easily transmitted from skin-to-skin contact in the genital area.
Addressing a training seminar for a group of journalists in Accra, Dr Linda Decker of Franklyn Medical Services, said although there are about 100 types of HPV, not all of them cause cervical cancer, adding that some of them cause genital warts, but other types may not present any symptoms.
She explained that 15 out of the 100 types of the HPV can cause cancer and out of this, only two have a high association with cervical cancer.
She said symptoms of cervical cancer may include bleeding from the vagina that is not normal or a change in menstrual cycle that cannot be explained, bleeding when something comes in contact with one’s cervix, such as during sex, pain during sex and vaginal discharge that is tinged with blood.
Medical experts say globally, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women under age 45 and it is the third leading cause of cancer death among women globally, after breast and lung cancers.
Approximately 270,000 deaths per year result from cervical cancer worldwide, and in Sub-Saharan Africa, cervical cancer is the dominant cancer and leading cause of cancer mortality in the region, causing slow and painful death among patients due to late diagnosis and lack of access to cancer treatment.
In Ghana, cervical cancer is one of the most frequent cancer types that affect women and the leading cause of cancer mortality. It is estimated that each year approximately 2,000 women will develop cervical cancer and 80 per cent will die from the disease.
Looking at the above statistics not merely as numbers but relating them to the suffering encountered by someone’s wife, mother, sister, daughter or friend helps to put the issue in a better perspective.
As a result of a public service initiative to equip journalists and make them ambassadors in the fight for women against cervical cancer, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana (PSG), in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Ghana, organised the training programme for media practitioners drawn from both the electronic and print media in Accra.
Elaborating on women who were at risk of contracting the disease, she said sexually active women were at risk and that the risk began with a sexual debut, worsening with the early onset of sex and lasted throughout a woman’s lifetime.
She explained that using condoms did not offer full protection against HPV because penetrative intercourse was not the only means of transmitting HPV.
She indicated that the number of lifetime sex partners, age at sexual debut and current smokers were the risk factors.
Dr Decker said screening was important and should be done once a year but that was inadequate, hence the need to look at vaccination to eliminate the primary causes of the disease.
She also said because the spread of the disease is largely related to the relationship between sexual activity, abstinence is the best preventive measure.
Dr Decker asserted that in developing countries where adequate screening programmes were lacking, there was the need to work out sustainable screening programmes, adding that the disease was a major health burden for women in developing countries.
She said as part of a regular pelvic examination, every woman should have a Pap test during which the doctor scrapes a small sample of cells from the surface of the cervix to examine for cell changes.
She said if the Pap test showed abnormal cell changes, the doctor may do other tests to look for pre-cancerous or cancer cells and indicated that it was important to follow up to see the doctor after any abnormal Pap test result to treat abnormal cell changes and that may help prevent cervical cancer.
According to Dr Decker, in Ghana, screening is done at the major hospitals, namely, Korle Bu and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals in Accra and Kumasi, respectively, as well as the Tema General Hospital and the Ridge Hospital in Accra.
Mr Emmanuel Acquah of GlaxoSmithKline Ghana said the disease developed at various stages and depending on the stage of its development, it was either reversible or irreversible.
He said like other diseases, early diagnosis and treatment was the best answer.
NETRIGHT report establishes discrimination against women
Story: Salome Donkor
Last year, Ghana launched the 3rd, 4th and 5th Combined Reports on Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), in Accra.
The ceremony provided a forum for the enumeration of measures taken over the years to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in the country.
The reports covered the period 1993 to 2003 and highlighted progress made over the decade in achieving gender equality, as well as challenges and efforts being made by the government towards the realisation of women’s empowerment, equality, equity and sustainable development.
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) submitted the combined report, which was considered by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women in August 2006.
State parties are enjoined under provisions of CEDAW to submit periodic reports to the committee on the elimination of discrimination against women and the three reports provided additional information on questions and issues raised in the report and offers a lot of issues for discussion.
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana provides a framework for equality of all persons and outlaws discrimination on the basis of gender/sex. It promises to protect and promote all human rights and also prohibits all harmful customary practices.
The Network of Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), a coalition of organisations and individuals advocating for gender equity, which made an assessment on issues of concern to women in Africa in 2008 has established that discriminatory practices against women in the name of culture still prevail in Africa with increasing efforts being made to address them.
A paper presented by Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, the NETRIGHT Convenor, during the organisation’s end-of-year event in Accra, indicated that an estimated three million girls a year are said to be at risk from the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and many of them are in Africa.
She said a major campaign was launched by 10 UN agencies who want a major reduction in the practice by 2015, adding that villages and communities in West Africa had joined together to make pledges to abandon the practice.
She indicated that within the Ghanaian context Ghana, stories published on women during the period featured a range of themes and more than half of all the stories were on women, politics and decision-making with a specific focus on the 2008 elections.
According to Dr Mensah-Kutin, other stories can be located within the general themes of violence against women, women's health, beauty and entertainment, women and the economy, as well as discriminatory practices against women.
She recalled that stories of violence against women included murders, rape and battering, featured in the Ghanaian media, as well as some stories of incest including one in which a 65-year-old catechist was alleged to have defiled his five-year-old granddaughter.
She said it was gratifying to note that the National Secretariat of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) wrote a rejoinder to correct the false impression that was created by a story published in the Ghanaian Times of September 3, 2008 that the number of husbands suffering physical abuse in the hands of their wives was getting higher than the reverse.
She said the real situation according to the rejoinder was that only records of the Ministries offices of the unit had been cited and that the explanation for that particular case was that many more men were willing to report cases of abuse against them by women.
On discriminatory practices against women often undertaken in the name of culture, the NETRIGHT Convenor made reference to the classic case in 2008 of three widows of the late Nana Kwaku Dimpo II, chief of New Longolo in the Kintampo North District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The widows — Madam Yaa Nsia, 80, Madam Afua Nkume, 75, and Madam Ama Sumaa 69 — had performed widowhood rites for more than nine years in the name of culture and tradition as they could only be freed after the funeral rites of their late husband had been performed.
With reference to women's maternal health, it said public discussion about the causes and extent of maternal deaths also intensified after the government launched the free pregnancy care policy in a bid to reduce maternal deaths.
It said the launch had seen an upsurge of the numbers of pregnant women registering at health facilities. The British government had made funds available to support free care for pregnant women.
According to the report, many of the stories on HIV and AIDS were advisory in nature and generally called on the public to be sensitive to HIV and AIDS sufferers and to avoid stigmatisation.
The report said one major issue that was widely covered in all the newspapers around women and the economy was the Paris Declaration and its Aid Effectiveness High Level Forum III Conference, held in Accra from September 2 to 4, 2008.
Civil Society activities started early in the year and culminated in the organisation of the International Women's Forum and the Civil Society Parallel Event on August 31-September 1, 2008 and the Ministerial High Level Forum 3. NETRIGHT worked with other international women's groups to amplify the voices of women and the dissatisfaction with the current aid architecture and the need for an alternative that is responsive to women.
The report said there was also very little discussion about households, and the dynamics of social, economic and work relationships that occur and their implications for democracy, women's rights and gender equality, adding that this was a huge gap and women needed to pay attention if they were genuinely committed to promoting gender equality and equity.
Last year, Ghana launched the 3rd, 4th and 5th Combined Reports on Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), in Accra.
The ceremony provided a forum for the enumeration of measures taken over the years to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women in the country.
The reports covered the period 1993 to 2003 and highlighted progress made over the decade in achieving gender equality, as well as challenges and efforts being made by the government towards the realisation of women’s empowerment, equality, equity and sustainable development.
The Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC) submitted the combined report, which was considered by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women in August 2006.
State parties are enjoined under provisions of CEDAW to submit periodic reports to the committee on the elimination of discrimination against women and the three reports provided additional information on questions and issues raised in the report and offers a lot of issues for discussion.
The 1992 Constitution of Ghana provides a framework for equality of all persons and outlaws discrimination on the basis of gender/sex. It promises to protect and promote all human rights and also prohibits all harmful customary practices.
The Network of Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), a coalition of organisations and individuals advocating for gender equity, which made an assessment on issues of concern to women in Africa in 2008 has established that discriminatory practices against women in the name of culture still prevail in Africa with increasing efforts being made to address them.
A paper presented by Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, the NETRIGHT Convenor, during the organisation’s end-of-year event in Accra, indicated that an estimated three million girls a year are said to be at risk from the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) and many of them are in Africa.
She said a major campaign was launched by 10 UN agencies who want a major reduction in the practice by 2015, adding that villages and communities in West Africa had joined together to make pledges to abandon the practice.
She indicated that within the Ghanaian context Ghana, stories published on women during the period featured a range of themes and more than half of all the stories were on women, politics and decision-making with a specific focus on the 2008 elections.
According to Dr Mensah-Kutin, other stories can be located within the general themes of violence against women, women's health, beauty and entertainment, women and the economy, as well as discriminatory practices against women.
She recalled that stories of violence against women included murders, rape and battering, featured in the Ghanaian media, as well as some stories of incest including one in which a 65-year-old catechist was alleged to have defiled his five-year-old granddaughter.
She said it was gratifying to note that the National Secretariat of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) wrote a rejoinder to correct the false impression that was created by a story published in the Ghanaian Times of September 3, 2008 that the number of husbands suffering physical abuse in the hands of their wives was getting higher than the reverse.
She said the real situation according to the rejoinder was that only records of the Ministries offices of the unit had been cited and that the explanation for that particular case was that many more men were willing to report cases of abuse against them by women.
On discriminatory practices against women often undertaken in the name of culture, the NETRIGHT Convenor made reference to the classic case in 2008 of three widows of the late Nana Kwaku Dimpo II, chief of New Longolo in the Kintampo North District in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The widows — Madam Yaa Nsia, 80, Madam Afua Nkume, 75, and Madam Ama Sumaa 69 — had performed widowhood rites for more than nine years in the name of culture and tradition as they could only be freed after the funeral rites of their late husband had been performed.
With reference to women's maternal health, it said public discussion about the causes and extent of maternal deaths also intensified after the government launched the free pregnancy care policy in a bid to reduce maternal deaths.
It said the launch had seen an upsurge of the numbers of pregnant women registering at health facilities. The British government had made funds available to support free care for pregnant women.
According to the report, many of the stories on HIV and AIDS were advisory in nature and generally called on the public to be sensitive to HIV and AIDS sufferers and to avoid stigmatisation.
The report said one major issue that was widely covered in all the newspapers around women and the economy was the Paris Declaration and its Aid Effectiveness High Level Forum III Conference, held in Accra from September 2 to 4, 2008.
Civil Society activities started early in the year and culminated in the organisation of the International Women's Forum and the Civil Society Parallel Event on August 31-September 1, 2008 and the Ministerial High Level Forum 3. NETRIGHT worked with other international women's groups to amplify the voices of women and the dissatisfaction with the current aid architecture and the need for an alternative that is responsive to women.
The report said there was also very little discussion about households, and the dynamics of social, economic and work relationships that occur and their implications for democracy, women's rights and gender equality, adding that this was a huge gap and women needed to pay attention if they were genuinely committed to promoting gender equality and equity.
Christian Children’s Fund leads fight against poverty
Story: Salome Donkor
Over the past 45 years, the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), an international charity organisation, has led the fight against poverty, by instituting pragmatic measures to break its cycle.
The CCFC, which is a member of ChildFund Alliance, has reached out to children in need and supported families and communities of all faith, demonstrating Christ’s love.
The CCFC is a child-centred international development organisation, which was established in Canada in 1961 and it has since its establishment used experiences to address not only the symptoms, but the root causes of poverty facing developing countries like Ghana.
A write-up on the activities of the organisation quoted Mr Bruce G. Herzog, Chief Executive Officer of the CCFC, as saying that the organisation currently had 8,192 children enrolled with 56 programmes in Ghana.
He said the CCFC believed that its role was to work with communities and other local partners to help lay the necessary groundwork for the attainment of its goals.
He said their experience and focus on meaningful results had shown that fighting poverty required a systematic approach and sustainable programmes to attain long-lasting solutions.
To make the most effective use of its resources and to maximise the impact of its activities in the communities it operates, the CCFC developed a strategic approach that is structured around five priority programme community development sectors.
These are education, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, micro-enterprise development and strengthening institutional and organisational capacities.
He said the CCFC recognised that improvements in these areas had a ripple effect on the success, sustainability and quality of life for not only a child but for an entire community.
A literature on the activities of the CCFC maintains that investing in health and nutrition programmes in a community means better health for children before birth and throughout their lifetimes. Healthy children and families mean a healthy and productive workforce, and an active and dynamic community.
The health and nutrition programmes run by the CCFC are designed to reduce malnutrition and strengthen children’s bodies and minds. The organisation’s nutrition programmes provide children the necessary nutrients to ensure proper development, teach families about proper nutrition and find solutions to food scarcity within communities.
The organisation’s health programmes include preventive and curative measures, with focus on prenatal care, vaccination and medical treatment for children, as well as HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.
In the field of education CCFC and its partners are committed to providing children with the education they need to become productive members of a community.
In addition to supporting school-based programmes, the organisation works with community members and families to develop solutions to obstacles that stand in the way of basic education for all children, like gender discrimination and the need to do away with child labour.
It also acknowledges that adult literacy is fundamental and that a child’s education begins at home. It also recognises that parents have a major role to play in their children’s education.
In order to create a long-term self-reliance, families need sustainable ways to generate income. As a result the CCFC has helped to launch 7,000 small businesses and helped parents earn enough money to feed, clothe, educate and provide for the health needs of families.
Over the past 45 years, the Christian Children’s Fund of Canada (CCFC), an international charity organisation, has led the fight against poverty, by instituting pragmatic measures to break its cycle.
The CCFC, which is a member of ChildFund Alliance, has reached out to children in need and supported families and communities of all faith, demonstrating Christ’s love.
The CCFC is a child-centred international development organisation, which was established in Canada in 1961 and it has since its establishment used experiences to address not only the symptoms, but the root causes of poverty facing developing countries like Ghana.
A write-up on the activities of the organisation quoted Mr Bruce G. Herzog, Chief Executive Officer of the CCFC, as saying that the organisation currently had 8,192 children enrolled with 56 programmes in Ghana.
He said the CCFC believed that its role was to work with communities and other local partners to help lay the necessary groundwork for the attainment of its goals.
He said their experience and focus on meaningful results had shown that fighting poverty required a systematic approach and sustainable programmes to attain long-lasting solutions.
To make the most effective use of its resources and to maximise the impact of its activities in the communities it operates, the CCFC developed a strategic approach that is structured around five priority programme community development sectors.
These are education, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, micro-enterprise development and strengthening institutional and organisational capacities.
He said the CCFC recognised that improvements in these areas had a ripple effect on the success, sustainability and quality of life for not only a child but for an entire community.
A literature on the activities of the CCFC maintains that investing in health and nutrition programmes in a community means better health for children before birth and throughout their lifetimes. Healthy children and families mean a healthy and productive workforce, and an active and dynamic community.
The health and nutrition programmes run by the CCFC are designed to reduce malnutrition and strengthen children’s bodies and minds. The organisation’s nutrition programmes provide children the necessary nutrients to ensure proper development, teach families about proper nutrition and find solutions to food scarcity within communities.
The organisation’s health programmes include preventive and curative measures, with focus on prenatal care, vaccination and medical treatment for children, as well as HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment.
In the field of education CCFC and its partners are committed to providing children with the education they need to become productive members of a community.
In addition to supporting school-based programmes, the organisation works with community members and families to develop solutions to obstacles that stand in the way of basic education for all children, like gender discrimination and the need to do away with child labour.
It also acknowledges that adult literacy is fundamental and that a child’s education begins at home. It also recognises that parents have a major role to play in their children’s education.
In order to create a long-term self-reliance, families need sustainable ways to generate income. As a result the CCFC has helped to launch 7,000 small businesses and helped parents earn enough money to feed, clothe, educate and provide for the health needs of families.
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