Article: Salome Donkor
Inequalities between men and women, whether in the economic or cultural sense or both, certainly mean that women work hardest to produce food and water, yet benefit the least from their work.
This is because women have less power over the resources they produce.
Gender inequality impacts on access to food, property and land rights, as well as access to credit.
The World Development Indicators, 1997, Womankind World-wide, indicate that women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, produce half of the world’s food and yet earn only 10 per cent of the world’s income and own less than one per cent of the world’s property.
To promote the EC/UN Partnership Programme on gender Equality for Development and Peace, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), under the auspices and sponsorship of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), recently organised a two-day forum to share experiences and exchange views with media practitioners on practices and principles for promoting gender equality as a priority development issue.
The forum discussed the Accra Agenda for Action endorsed by ministers of developing and donor countries responsible for development and heads of multilateral and bilateral development institutions, after the Third High level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Accra from September 2-4, 2008.
The document provides the framework for promoting gender equality and also provides UNIFEM with a platform to introduce its new programme for 2010 - 2013.
According to the National Programme Co-ordinator of UNIFEM, the Proposed New Programme on Financing Gender Equality and Aid Effectiveness, Programme Country Strategy, developed after the adoption of the action programme, would address four key gaps and challenges in the country.
She mentioned the need for capacity building or the strengthening of key government institutions on their roles and functions in the implementation of the national gender equality agenda, the need to strengthen gender equality and the role of civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations in monitoring and evaluating government and donors’ commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda in national development plans, budgets and development co-operation frameworks.
It will also address issues associated with limited progress on mutual accountability of governments and donors, as well as the lack of relevant gender desegregated data and information on financing for gender equality, costing of gender equality and women empowerment programmes and gender responsive budgeting implementation in the country.
In identifying the main activities that will be carried out and the programme partners to achieve the expected results, UNIFEM mentions ministries, departments and agencies, United Nations agencies and other multilateral, as well as bilateral, agencies, the private sector and the media.
One important way in which the media can deal with gender inequalities is to publish stories that challenge stereotypes and these include those that overturn common assumptions about women and men in relation to their attributes, traits, roles or occupations.
Conversely, stories that reinforce stereotypes will reinscribe the generalised, simplistic and often exaggerated assumptions of masculinity and femininity in a given cultural context.
The preliminary report by the Global Media Monitoring Project, 2010, states that stories in Asia are almost eight times as likely to reinforce gender stereotypes than to challenge them.
It said in Africa, stories were almost 16 times as likely to reinforce than challenge stereotypes, adding that the larger percentage of stories that reinforced rather than challenged stereotypes suggested a need for media practitioner awareness on understanding, recognising and challenging stereotypes in reportage.
The top five topics in which women are central pertain to women in politics, violence and crime. Specifically, these are women in political power and decision-making, gender-based violence, violent crime, domestic politics and disaster. Further, the preliminary results show that women are not central at all in several news topics that are of importance to them, such as labour (employment, unemployment) and poverty (housing, social welfare and aid).
The report shows that the breakdown of topics with the highest coverage in all regions indicates that the media in Africa devoted 25 per cent of news coverage for politics and government, 21 per cent for social and legal, 19 per cent for the economy, 18 per cent for crime and violence, nine per cent for science and health,, six per cent for celebrity, the arts and the media and sports and zero per cent for the girl-child.
The hierarchy of priorities reveals the need for a radical transformation of the news media agenda towards one that is cognisant of and responsive to gender interests in the news.
The topics, ‘science and health’ and ‘social and legal’, are relevant to women’s gender interest. What is needed is a re-alignment of the priorities on the news media agenda to reflect the interest of the majority.
The most significant of participants’ commitment at the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness was their resolve to work together to help countries across the world build a successful future for all, a future based on a shared commitment to overcome poverty, a future in which no countries will depend on aid.
The participants agreed that by 2010, each of them should meet the commitments they had made on aid effectiveness in Paris in 2005 and in Accra and reach beyond those commitments, where they could.
They agreed to reflect and draw upon the many valuable ideas and initiatives that had been presented at the High Level Forum and asked the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness to continue monitoring progress on implementing the Paris Declaration and the Accra Agenda for Action and report back to the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in 2011.
As was rightly pointed out by Dr Doris Dartey, a communications consultant and media educator, the media should not reinforce gender stereotypes or publish gender-blind stories.
There is the need for media practitioners to set their personal agendas and use the media to get people to tell their stories.
That should be done in such a way to champion cultural change, safeguard women’s rights and shine “the dark spots in society”.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Women Candidates Support Package is laudable
Article: Salome Donkor
The important role of women in politics and public office is recognised within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the indicators for monitoring MDG 3 that relates to promoting gender equality and women empowerment, is the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and other levels of decision-making process.
The 2005 World Summit Outcome reaffirmed the commitment to increase representation of women in government and decision-making bodies, including opportunities to participate fully in the political process.
Marked progress has been made since 1995 in the numbers of women elected to national parliaments and statistics from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) database on women in national parliaments indicate that 20 countries achieved over 30 per cent representation of women in 2006, which compares favourably with the very short list of five countries that had achieved this in 1995 (Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden).
The IPU database indicates that almost all of the 20 countries have used some form of electoral quotas to ensure that women account for a certain number of percentage of candidates for office or officeholders, whether through a constitutional commitment, a provision of election legislation, voluntary action by political parties, or some combination of these.
Two articles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) deal with women’s participation in political and public life. Article 7 commits States parties to ensure equality between women and men in political and public life, including the right to vote, to be eligible for election, to participate in formulating government policy, to hold public office and to perform public functions. That provision also includes the right to participate in non-governmental organisations and other associations.
Article 8 requires States parties to ensure that women have equal opportunities with men to represent their governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organisations. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women provided additional guidance in the implementation of the Convention in 1997 in its General Recommendation 23, which highlighted the application of the Convention to all levels of government and to the activities of a range of organisations concerned with public and political life, including public boards, local councils, and the activities of political parties, trade unions and professional associations.
The involvement of more women in politics and decision-making is significant, since it is expected to meet their interests and basic needs and enable them to continue to influence policies from a gender perspective and address inequalities and injustices in social relationships. The full participation of women in the electoral process was also key to the growth of democracy.
The local government system has therefore become good grounds for some women who want to enter national politics. But there are various challenges that confront women intending to enter local government, which make it difficult for them to take the initiative.
To address these challenges, which include social and economic factors, the Department of Women in the various regions have been tasked to work in collaboration with the district assemblies and identify 20 women from each district to support them to take part in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
This month, the Electoral Commission (EC) also announced a package to encourage more women to contest the upcoming district level elections scheduled for October 26, this year.
Known as The Women Candidates Support Package, it is set to be introduced in recognition of the peculiar challenge women faced, with financial support from the European Union, and it will include training workshops to be attended solely by female candidates.
In 2005, with the support of the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the EC and the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs undertook intensive leadership training programmes for potential women candidates for the 2006 district level elections.
In addition to this, the Women in Local Government Fund was also launched to support female contestants. Despite these, the low numbers of women in local and national politics means that it is also important to look at other methods, such as quota representation, to bridge the gap between the numbers of men and women represented in the political arena.
Ms Gloria Ofori Buadu, President of the Women Assistance Business Association (WABA), an organisation that supports women, described the EC’s initiative as a good idea but stated that there was the need to repackage these programmes well in order not to incur the displeasure of other contestants in the local elections.
She said in the last elections some male contestants used the raising of funds to support female candidates, to campaign against the women, with some of them alleging that the female candidates had been given a lot of money, while their male counterparts had none.
She also advised the EC to stick to the date fixed for the election and said in the last election, a number of the electorate lost interest in the polls as a result of the change in dates.
Some women contacted said the details of the EC’s package should be spelt out and made known to prospective contestants, to help them derive maximum benefit from the scheme, to significantly improve gender balance in decision-making at all levels.
The important role of women in politics and public office is recognised within the framework of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). One of the indicators for monitoring MDG 3 that relates to promoting gender equality and women empowerment, is the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and other levels of decision-making process.
The 2005 World Summit Outcome reaffirmed the commitment to increase representation of women in government and decision-making bodies, including opportunities to participate fully in the political process.
Marked progress has been made since 1995 in the numbers of women elected to national parliaments and statistics from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) database on women in national parliaments indicate that 20 countries achieved over 30 per cent representation of women in 2006, which compares favourably with the very short list of five countries that had achieved this in 1995 (Denmark, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden).
The IPU database indicates that almost all of the 20 countries have used some form of electoral quotas to ensure that women account for a certain number of percentage of candidates for office or officeholders, whether through a constitutional commitment, a provision of election legislation, voluntary action by political parties, or some combination of these.
Two articles of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) deal with women’s participation in political and public life. Article 7 commits States parties to ensure equality between women and men in political and public life, including the right to vote, to be eligible for election, to participate in formulating government policy, to hold public office and to perform public functions. That provision also includes the right to participate in non-governmental organisations and other associations.
Article 8 requires States parties to ensure that women have equal opportunities with men to represent their governments at the international level and to participate in the work of international organisations. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women provided additional guidance in the implementation of the Convention in 1997 in its General Recommendation 23, which highlighted the application of the Convention to all levels of government and to the activities of a range of organisations concerned with public and political life, including public boards, local councils, and the activities of political parties, trade unions and professional associations.
The involvement of more women in politics and decision-making is significant, since it is expected to meet their interests and basic needs and enable them to continue to influence policies from a gender perspective and address inequalities and injustices in social relationships. The full participation of women in the electoral process was also key to the growth of democracy.
The local government system has therefore become good grounds for some women who want to enter national politics. But there are various challenges that confront women intending to enter local government, which make it difficult for them to take the initiative.
To address these challenges, which include social and economic factors, the Department of Women in the various regions have been tasked to work in collaboration with the district assemblies and identify 20 women from each district to support them to take part in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
This month, the Electoral Commission (EC) also announced a package to encourage more women to contest the upcoming district level elections scheduled for October 26, this year.
Known as The Women Candidates Support Package, it is set to be introduced in recognition of the peculiar challenge women faced, with financial support from the European Union, and it will include training workshops to be attended solely by female candidates.
In 2005, with the support of the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the EC and the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs undertook intensive leadership training programmes for potential women candidates for the 2006 district level elections.
In addition to this, the Women in Local Government Fund was also launched to support female contestants. Despite these, the low numbers of women in local and national politics means that it is also important to look at other methods, such as quota representation, to bridge the gap between the numbers of men and women represented in the political arena.
Ms Gloria Ofori Buadu, President of the Women Assistance Business Association (WABA), an organisation that supports women, described the EC’s initiative as a good idea but stated that there was the need to repackage these programmes well in order not to incur the displeasure of other contestants in the local elections.
She said in the last elections some male contestants used the raising of funds to support female candidates, to campaign against the women, with some of them alleging that the female candidates had been given a lot of money, while their male counterparts had none.
She also advised the EC to stick to the date fixed for the election and said in the last election, a number of the electorate lost interest in the polls as a result of the change in dates.
Some women contacted said the details of the EC’s package should be spelt out and made known to prospective contestants, to help them derive maximum benefit from the scheme, to significantly improve gender balance in decision-making at all levels.
Children count - Make the commitment
Article: Salome Donkor
TO many parents and those who have the interest of children at heart,"every day is Children's Day". The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland proclaimed June 1 as International Children's Day in 1925 to promote the well-being of children around the world. This followed resolutions taken at the World Conference in Geneva, Switzerland that year.
On this day, the whole world observes the need to reach out to the youngest members of our world community. Each year in commemoration of International Children's Day, Amnesty International calls on the international community to take concrete steps to protect and promote children's rights, which are the foundation for a thriving human rights culture.
It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the International Children's Day: One theory has it that the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco (USA) gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in 1925, which happened to be on June 1 that year, and also coincided with the conference in Geneva.
The day, celebrated as a holiday in some countries, is usually marked with speeches on children's rights and well-being, children TV programmes, parties, various activities involving or dedicated to children, with some families going out with their children. Many nations declare days for children on other dates.
In the United States of America, Children’s Day observations predate both Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, though a permanent annual single Children's Day observation is not made at the national level.
The celebration of a special Children’s Day in America dates from the 1860s and earlier.
In 1856, Rev. Charles H. Leonard, then pastor of the First Universalist Church of Chelsea, Mass., set apart a Sunday for the dedication of children to the Christian life, and for the re-dedication of parents and guardians to bringing-up their children in Christian nurture. This service was first observed the second Sunday in June.
In Ghana, similar programmes are held in some churches such as the Presbyterian and Methodist that mark Children’s day with drama, Bible recitals, and talk on children’s rights and development. Such programmes are also used to raise funds in support the Children’s Ministry of those churches.
To mark the 20th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Geneva Conventions, respectively, the International Committee of the Red Cross has issued a new brochure on children and war. This brochure examines the risks faced by children caught up in armed conflict, the steps taken to address their specific needs and the rules of law defined to protect them.
Much was not heard about this year’s International Children’s Day celebration in the country, but one significant programme held in Accra on Saturday June 5, that is also related to the promotion of child’s rights, was the launch of the 2010 World Day Against Child Labour and the current International Labour Organisation (ILO) Child Labour Global Report.
The worst forms of child labour as defined in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 182 included practices such as the sale and trafficking of children, serfdom and forced or compulsory labour including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, the use, procuring or offering of children for prostitution, or for the production of pornography or pornographic performance: And the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs.
Some people contend that there is no child labour in the country,arguing that children who help their parents to raise money
for the upkeep of the family are not engaged in child labour. However, the 2003 Ghana Child Labour Survey (GCLS 2003), revealed that 2.47 million children out of an estimated number of 6.36 million aged between 5 and 17, were economically active, with about 1.27 million in activities classified as child labour.
Speaking at the programme, the Deputy Commissioner of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ms Anna Bossman, was reported to have stated that child labour continued to pose problems that resulted in child abuse and hindered the growth and development of children in developing countries.
A communiqué adopted by participants after the six-day forum at the recent annual Easter School for Children in Sunyani, organised by Child's Rights International (CRI) in co-operation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), urged the Department of Social Welfare to monitor the activities of children and called on the Department of Social Welfare, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC),to institute programmes to tackle the problems of child labour and early marriages involving children.
This was based on their observations and findings during different field trips to the Techiman Market, various houses, shops and drinking bars to distribute 250 copies of the Children’s Act 560. The visit to the Techiman Market revealed that, although the day of the visit was not a market day, there were many children at the market carrying loads of food items.
The communiqué indicated that majority of the children, aged between six and 17 started selling at the age of six, with some of them ‘working’ permanently for the whole week for approximately 10 hours a day, while those working temporarily, ‘work’ five days a week, earning between GH¢1 and GH¢20, with some earning as low as 50 Ghana pesewas a day.
It said most of the children, who were malnourished, lived in rented kiosks and stores, and take unprescribed drugs to ease their body pains, and some were knocked down by vehicles without any compensation.
Recognising the need to respond to the health, education, safety, and social and emotional well-being of children, countries that joined the world community in observing International Children's Day renewed their commitment to improving the lives of children around the world.
Ghana, as well as the global community in general need to commit herself to promoting access to a quality education for all children,strive to improve the lives of young people by seeking innovative solutions to poverty,including programmes that provide emergency relief, promote economic opportunity and integrate human rights concerns into humanitarian assistance.
As a parent/guardian, we need to commit ourselves to love, cherish and nurture our children physically, mentally,emotionally, attend to their spiritual needs and affirm our love to them. All adults have the responsibility to make the world a better place for children.
TO many parents and those who have the interest of children at heart,"every day is Children's Day". The World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland proclaimed June 1 as International Children's Day in 1925 to promote the well-being of children around the world. This followed resolutions taken at the World Conference in Geneva, Switzerland that year.
On this day, the whole world observes the need to reach out to the youngest members of our world community. Each year in commemoration of International Children's Day, Amnesty International calls on the international community to take concrete steps to protect and promote children's rights, which are the foundation for a thriving human rights culture.
It is not clear as to why June 1 was chosen as the International Children's Day: One theory has it that the Chinese consul-general in San Francisco (USA) gathered a number of Chinese orphans to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival in 1925, which happened to be on June 1 that year, and also coincided with the conference in Geneva.
The day, celebrated as a holiday in some countries, is usually marked with speeches on children's rights and well-being, children TV programmes, parties, various activities involving or dedicated to children, with some families going out with their children. Many nations declare days for children on other dates.
In the United States of America, Children’s Day observations predate both Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day, though a permanent annual single Children's Day observation is not made at the national level.
The celebration of a special Children’s Day in America dates from the 1860s and earlier.
In 1856, Rev. Charles H. Leonard, then pastor of the First Universalist Church of Chelsea, Mass., set apart a Sunday for the dedication of children to the Christian life, and for the re-dedication of parents and guardians to bringing-up their children in Christian nurture. This service was first observed the second Sunday in June.
In Ghana, similar programmes are held in some churches such as the Presbyterian and Methodist that mark Children’s day with drama, Bible recitals, and talk on children’s rights and development. Such programmes are also used to raise funds in support the Children’s Ministry of those churches.
To mark the 20th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the Geneva Conventions, respectively, the International Committee of the Red Cross has issued a new brochure on children and war. This brochure examines the risks faced by children caught up in armed conflict, the steps taken to address their specific needs and the rules of law defined to protect them.
Much was not heard about this year’s International Children’s Day celebration in the country, but one significant programme held in Accra on Saturday June 5, that is also related to the promotion of child’s rights, was the launch of the 2010 World Day Against Child Labour and the current International Labour Organisation (ILO) Child Labour Global Report.
The worst forms of child labour as defined in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention No. 182 included practices such as the sale and trafficking of children, serfdom and forced or compulsory labour including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict, the use, procuring or offering of children for prostitution, or for the production of pornography or pornographic performance: And the use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs.
Some people contend that there is no child labour in the country,arguing that children who help their parents to raise money
for the upkeep of the family are not engaged in child labour. However, the 2003 Ghana Child Labour Survey (GCLS 2003), revealed that 2.47 million children out of an estimated number of 6.36 million aged between 5 and 17, were economically active, with about 1.27 million in activities classified as child labour.
Speaking at the programme, the Deputy Commissioner of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Ms Anna Bossman, was reported to have stated that child labour continued to pose problems that resulted in child abuse and hindered the growth and development of children in developing countries.
A communiqué adopted by participants after the six-day forum at the recent annual Easter School for Children in Sunyani, organised by Child's Rights International (CRI) in co-operation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), urged the Department of Social Welfare to monitor the activities of children and called on the Department of Social Welfare, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC),to institute programmes to tackle the problems of child labour and early marriages involving children.
This was based on their observations and findings during different field trips to the Techiman Market, various houses, shops and drinking bars to distribute 250 copies of the Children’s Act 560. The visit to the Techiman Market revealed that, although the day of the visit was not a market day, there were many children at the market carrying loads of food items.
The communiqué indicated that majority of the children, aged between six and 17 started selling at the age of six, with some of them ‘working’ permanently for the whole week for approximately 10 hours a day, while those working temporarily, ‘work’ five days a week, earning between GH¢1 and GH¢20, with some earning as low as 50 Ghana pesewas a day.
It said most of the children, who were malnourished, lived in rented kiosks and stores, and take unprescribed drugs to ease their body pains, and some were knocked down by vehicles without any compensation.
Recognising the need to respond to the health, education, safety, and social and emotional well-being of children, countries that joined the world community in observing International Children's Day renewed their commitment to improving the lives of children around the world.
Ghana, as well as the global community in general need to commit herself to promoting access to a quality education for all children,strive to improve the lives of young people by seeking innovative solutions to poverty,including programmes that provide emergency relief, promote economic opportunity and integrate human rights concerns into humanitarian assistance.
As a parent/guardian, we need to commit ourselves to love, cherish and nurture our children physically, mentally,emotionally, attend to their spiritual needs and affirm our love to them. All adults have the responsibility to make the world a better place for children.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Children’s rights need protection and commitment
Article: Salome Donkor
The Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560) defines a child as a person below the age of 18 and entrusts parents with the responsibilities to protect the child from neglect, discrimination, violence, abuse, exposure to physical and moral hazards and oppression.
Media reports on the abuse of the rights of the child sometimes involving parents, who refused to provide guidance, care, assistance and maintenance for the child and assure them of their survival and development, amount to breach of the Children’s Act.
The efficient enforcement of children’s rights is affected by the fact that most children were not enlightened on their rights, while some state institutions charged with the protection of children’s rights were confronted with challenges that render their operations ineffective.
At the recent annual Easter School for Children in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, organised by Child's Rights International (CRI) in co-operation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), that provided a forum for children to actively participate in open discussions about critical issues that affected their welfare and the enjoyment of children's rights, the participants engaged in constructive dialogue with one another and with policy makers and government officials in Ghana.
The Tano North District Girl-Child Co-ordinator, Mrs Margaret Anane-Agyei, lamented the high incidence of teenage pregnancy among students in the district, in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
She said last year,23 female students who wrote the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the district, were found to be pregnant and pointed out that apart from that, some female students found to be pregnant were in primary four and in other classes.
She attributed the problem to poverty, which she said had led to a high level of parental neglect and irresponsibility, adding that, in their quest to make money, some parents neglected the training and upbringing of their children and left them “to manage their own affairs”.
She also said the negative influence of foreign culture which made some young girls in rural communities copy foreign culture blindly, as well as peer pressure influence, have compounded the problem.
She stressed the need for churches to use the Women and Men’s Fellowships to champion parental responsibility and child upbringing, and also called for women empowerment programmes to improve the financial position of women to help them support the upkeep of their homes.
The Deputy Regional Co-ordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Supervisor of Police (ASP) Setina Aboagye, said much as emphasis was being put on the need to arrest perpetrators of child sexual abuse, emphasis should also be placed on the need for victims of sexual abuse to make a report to the police and also seek early medical care to protect them against sexually transmitted diseases.
She also called on the media to protect sexual violence victims in order not to compound their emotional and psychological trauma.
The Executive Director of Child’s Rights International, Mr Bright Appiah, said failure to promote children’s rights amount to stifling their efforts to realise their potentials, adding that the CRI organised the programme annually on specific theme “to remind us of what we can do to protect the rights of children”.
The Associate Community Services Officer of the UNHCR, Ms Elsie Dinah Yaokumah, said like all other children, displaced and trafficked children, as well as and street children need to be provided with the basic necessities of lives namely, food clothing and shelter and pointed out that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has camps in various parts of the country, sheltering refugee children from neighbouring countries.
The participants, after the six-day forum, presented a communiqué to the Regional Co-ordinating Council,after they had visited the Techiman Market,various houses, shops and drinking bars to distribute 250 copies of the Children’s Act 560.They also visited the Sunyani Traditional Council to interact with the traditions rulers.
The communiqué called for intensive efforts to empower women through the institution of microfinance programmes, as well as the institution of a social intervention programmes to ensure that all these children are covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
It also urged the Department of Social Welfare to monitor the activities of children and urged the Department of Social Welfare, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), to institute programmes to tackle the problems of child labour and early marriages, involving children.
It further called for the translation of the Children’s Act into Child friendly versions to be produced and distributed to promote legal literacy of the Act, stressing that the production of more copies of Act 560, as well as its translation into local dialects for the appreciation of all, must be enhanced.
Children who participated in this year’s programme exhibited unique talents, in addition to sharing experiences and discussing critical issues that affected the welfare of children.
The participants entertained the gathering with cultural display to emphasise their expectations from parents, guardians, child rights activists and stakeholders, in order to bridge the gap between children’s rights and realities.
A 12-year-old Junior High School (JHS) student of the Duayaw Nkwanta District Assembly JHS, Hannah Serwaah Arthur, who was selected by her school to participate in the Presidential Dinner in Accra, won the admiration of the audience with her display of brilliance and eloquence with a recital on the importance of education and the need for parents to educate their children to help unearth their talents.
The Children’s Act 1998 (Act 560) defines a child as a person below the age of 18 and entrusts parents with the responsibilities to protect the child from neglect, discrimination, violence, abuse, exposure to physical and moral hazards and oppression.
Media reports on the abuse of the rights of the child sometimes involving parents, who refused to provide guidance, care, assistance and maintenance for the child and assure them of their survival and development, amount to breach of the Children’s Act.
The efficient enforcement of children’s rights is affected by the fact that most children were not enlightened on their rights, while some state institutions charged with the protection of children’s rights were confronted with challenges that render their operations ineffective.
At the recent annual Easter School for Children in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, organised by Child's Rights International (CRI) in co-operation with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), that provided a forum for children to actively participate in open discussions about critical issues that affected their welfare and the enjoyment of children's rights, the participants engaged in constructive dialogue with one another and with policy makers and government officials in Ghana.
The Tano North District Girl-Child Co-ordinator, Mrs Margaret Anane-Agyei, lamented the high incidence of teenage pregnancy among students in the district, in an interview with the Daily Graphic.
She said last year,23 female students who wrote the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) in the district, were found to be pregnant and pointed out that apart from that, some female students found to be pregnant were in primary four and in other classes.
She attributed the problem to poverty, which she said had led to a high level of parental neglect and irresponsibility, adding that, in their quest to make money, some parents neglected the training and upbringing of their children and left them “to manage their own affairs”.
She also said the negative influence of foreign culture which made some young girls in rural communities copy foreign culture blindly, as well as peer pressure influence, have compounded the problem.
She stressed the need for churches to use the Women and Men’s Fellowships to champion parental responsibility and child upbringing, and also called for women empowerment programmes to improve the financial position of women to help them support the upkeep of their homes.
The Deputy Regional Co-ordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Supervisor of Police (ASP) Setina Aboagye, said much as emphasis was being put on the need to arrest perpetrators of child sexual abuse, emphasis should also be placed on the need for victims of sexual abuse to make a report to the police and also seek early medical care to protect them against sexually transmitted diseases.
She also called on the media to protect sexual violence victims in order not to compound their emotional and psychological trauma.
The Executive Director of Child’s Rights International, Mr Bright Appiah, said failure to promote children’s rights amount to stifling their efforts to realise their potentials, adding that the CRI organised the programme annually on specific theme “to remind us of what we can do to protect the rights of children”.
The Associate Community Services Officer of the UNHCR, Ms Elsie Dinah Yaokumah, said like all other children, displaced and trafficked children, as well as and street children need to be provided with the basic necessities of lives namely, food clothing and shelter and pointed out that the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has camps in various parts of the country, sheltering refugee children from neighbouring countries.
The participants, after the six-day forum, presented a communiqué to the Regional Co-ordinating Council,after they had visited the Techiman Market,various houses, shops and drinking bars to distribute 250 copies of the Children’s Act 560.They also visited the Sunyani Traditional Council to interact with the traditions rulers.
The communiqué called for intensive efforts to empower women through the institution of microfinance programmes, as well as the institution of a social intervention programmes to ensure that all these children are covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
It also urged the Department of Social Welfare to monitor the activities of children and urged the Department of Social Welfare, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), to institute programmes to tackle the problems of child labour and early marriages, involving children.
It further called for the translation of the Children’s Act into Child friendly versions to be produced and distributed to promote legal literacy of the Act, stressing that the production of more copies of Act 560, as well as its translation into local dialects for the appreciation of all, must be enhanced.
Children who participated in this year’s programme exhibited unique talents, in addition to sharing experiences and discussing critical issues that affected the welfare of children.
The participants entertained the gathering with cultural display to emphasise their expectations from parents, guardians, child rights activists and stakeholders, in order to bridge the gap between children’s rights and realities.
A 12-year-old Junior High School (JHS) student of the Duayaw Nkwanta District Assembly JHS, Hannah Serwaah Arthur, who was selected by her school to participate in the Presidential Dinner in Accra, won the admiration of the audience with her display of brilliance and eloquence with a recital on the importance of education and the need for parents to educate their children to help unearth their talents.
‘Shirley Graham Du Bois was a woman of many lives’
Story: Salome Donkor
Mrs Shirley Graham Du Bois, the widow of Dr W.E.B Du Bois-an American civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, author and editor, is not only remembered for her political commitment to the civil rights movement, women’s rights and anti-colonial struggles in Africa and Asia, but also remembered as a faithful caretaker and companion of her legendary husband.
The African-American author, playwright, composer and activist for African-Americans and other people, lived between 1896 and 1977, and got married in 1951, the second marriage for both. The couple later emigrated to Ghana, and received citizenship in 1961. In 1963 her husband died.
A biography on Mrs Du Bois, titled “Race Woman: The life of Shirley Graham Du Bois” written by Dr Gerald Horne of the University of Huston, described her as a “restless, multifaceted woman” and indicated that her life began with an early commitment to uplift her race.
The book shows how Mrs Du Bois handled successfully or unsuccessfully, the conflicts that confronted her as a black woman in a male-dominated arena and her personal struggle to resolve her parenting responsibilities with her artistic and political goals.
She understood that a solid education could free her from the challenges confronting most women in her time and reasoned that education might allow her to achieve better employment and be able to better support her children. For that reason, she relocated in 1929 to Paris, France, to study music composition.
In 1965, she was made the director of Ghana Television and in 1967, she moved to Cairo, Egypt, after a military-led coup d'etat, where she continued writing and died of breast cancer in March 27, 1977 in Beijing, China, where she had gone for treatment.
An 11-member panel that discussed the book at the American Embassy in Accra recently, as part of the centenary celebrations of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President, made reference to Mrs Du Bois’ political and cultural activities and commitment to uplift her race.
Prof. Ablade Glover, who met Mrs Du Bois in Ghana in 1964, described the formative years of Mrs Du Bois as interesting, considering the fact that she left her sons in the care of others to go and study in France, where she met a lot of Black Americans and Africans who shared her activist kind of thinking.
Dr Mohammed Ben Abdellah of the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon, touched on the frustrations of artists, like Mrs Du Bois, in her bid to get a firm grip on the theatre and her contribution to the establishment of Ghana television in 1965. It was her expectation at the establishment of Ghana Television that 85 per cent of programmes to be shown on that station would originate from Ghana.
In her presentation, Dr Esi Sutherland Addy, a scholar in Diaspora studies, African history and culture of the Arts, touched on chapter five of the book, which she said revealed the soft and vulnerable side of Mrs Du Bois who spent a lot of time caring for her husband in his latter days, while Prof. Akosua A Ampofo, of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, described Mrs Du Bois as a woman with many lives that is worthy to be considered, adding that she was a strong character in her marriage, playing the motherly role, which she described as intriguing.
The other panelists were Dr Kofi Baku, immediate Head of the History Department of the University of Ghana, Prof. Alex Quarmyne, a retired Director of Ghana Television, who took over from Mrs Du Bois as the Director of Ghana Television after she left Ghana, Madam Mamle Kabu, writer and novelist from Ghana, Ms Doris Kuwornu, Director of Corporate Affairs, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Prof. Kojo Yankah, founder of the African University College of Education, and Prof. Akosua Anyidoho, of European University in Ghana.
The discussions were followed by a Video Conference with the author described Mrs as woman with tremendous accomplishment and said he referred to her as ‘Race Woman’ because Mrs Du Bois was concerned about the life and destiny of people of African-American descent.
Mrs Shirley Graham Du Bois, the widow of Dr W.E.B Du Bois-an American civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, historian, author and editor, is not only remembered for her political commitment to the civil rights movement, women’s rights and anti-colonial struggles in Africa and Asia, but also remembered as a faithful caretaker and companion of her legendary husband.
The African-American author, playwright, composer and activist for African-Americans and other people, lived between 1896 and 1977, and got married in 1951, the second marriage for both. The couple later emigrated to Ghana, and received citizenship in 1961. In 1963 her husband died.
A biography on Mrs Du Bois, titled “Race Woman: The life of Shirley Graham Du Bois” written by Dr Gerald Horne of the University of Huston, described her as a “restless, multifaceted woman” and indicated that her life began with an early commitment to uplift her race.
The book shows how Mrs Du Bois handled successfully or unsuccessfully, the conflicts that confronted her as a black woman in a male-dominated arena and her personal struggle to resolve her parenting responsibilities with her artistic and political goals.
She understood that a solid education could free her from the challenges confronting most women in her time and reasoned that education might allow her to achieve better employment and be able to better support her children. For that reason, she relocated in 1929 to Paris, France, to study music composition.
In 1965, she was made the director of Ghana Television and in 1967, she moved to Cairo, Egypt, after a military-led coup d'etat, where she continued writing and died of breast cancer in March 27, 1977 in Beijing, China, where she had gone for treatment.
An 11-member panel that discussed the book at the American Embassy in Accra recently, as part of the centenary celebrations of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first President, made reference to Mrs Du Bois’ political and cultural activities and commitment to uplift her race.
Prof. Ablade Glover, who met Mrs Du Bois in Ghana in 1964, described the formative years of Mrs Du Bois as interesting, considering the fact that she left her sons in the care of others to go and study in France, where she met a lot of Black Americans and Africans who shared her activist kind of thinking.
Dr Mohammed Ben Abdellah of the School of Performing Arts, University of Ghana, Legon, touched on the frustrations of artists, like Mrs Du Bois, in her bid to get a firm grip on the theatre and her contribution to the establishment of Ghana television in 1965. It was her expectation at the establishment of Ghana Television that 85 per cent of programmes to be shown on that station would originate from Ghana.
In her presentation, Dr Esi Sutherland Addy, a scholar in Diaspora studies, African history and culture of the Arts, touched on chapter five of the book, which she said revealed the soft and vulnerable side of Mrs Du Bois who spent a lot of time caring for her husband in his latter days, while Prof. Akosua A Ampofo, of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Legon, described Mrs Du Bois as a woman with many lives that is worthy to be considered, adding that she was a strong character in her marriage, playing the motherly role, which she described as intriguing.
The other panelists were Dr Kofi Baku, immediate Head of the History Department of the University of Ghana, Prof. Alex Quarmyne, a retired Director of Ghana Television, who took over from Mrs Du Bois as the Director of Ghana Television after she left Ghana, Madam Mamle Kabu, writer and novelist from Ghana, Ms Doris Kuwornu, Director of Corporate Affairs, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Prof. Kojo Yankah, founder of the African University College of Education, and Prof. Akosua Anyidoho, of European University in Ghana.
The discussions were followed by a Video Conference with the author described Mrs as woman with tremendous accomplishment and said he referred to her as ‘Race Woman’ because Mrs Du Bois was concerned about the life and destiny of people of African-American descent.
Monday, April 26, 2010
‘Let’s support women in local government’
Story: Salome Donkor
The role of women in politics and public office is one of the current burning governance issues because of the perceived and acknowledged potential and contribution of women to governance processes.
Gender and policy advocacy organisations recognise that improving the lives of women and other members of society require a balanced gender representation in government structures by promoting greater responsiveness to women in politics and decision-making.
For some women who want to enter national politics, governance at the various levels, namely the local or district, regional and national, is crucial to them, since it provides them with good training grounds to improve their chances of being elected to political office to promote gender-balance in decision-making at all levels.
The involvement of more women in politics and decision-making is expected to meet their interests and basic needs and enable them continue influence policies from a gender perspective and addressing inequalities and injustices in social relationships.
The local government system has therefore become good grounds for some women, who want to enter into national politics. But the most difficult challenge that confront most women intending to enter into local government, is lack of funds.
To support women in the 2006 District Assembly elections, the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), launched the “Women in Local Government Fund” to assist women aspiring to take part in local government elections.
According to the Public Relations Officer of MOWAC, Mrs Addisa Ofori Adu, each of the 1,772 women who contested the 2006 District Assembly elections, received GH¢20.00 for their campaign activities.
She said the Department of Women in the various regions have been tasked to work in collaboration with the district assemblies and identify 20 women from each district to support them to take part in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
Speaking at a day’s review meeting on “Challenges and Prospects of Women in Decision-Making Positions”, in Koforidua recently, the Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Jane Kwapong, re-emphasised the need for the private sector, corporate bodies and related organisations and individuals to financially support the “Women in Local Government Fund”
She said society should see gender equality as a tool for sustainable development and called for support and encouragement by both men and women to ensure that more women were elected in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
Participants were drawn from civil society organisations, women’s groups, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Gender Desk Officers and assemblywomen.
She urged political parties to promote equal rights and opportunities for women and men to engage in political activities and take further steps to elect women in their “safe constituencies” to contest parliamentary elections to increase the number of women in parliament.
She said since women’s reproductive roles tended to militate against their participation in politics and other decision-making processes, there was the need to encourage the sharing of parental and household responsibilities to enable more women participate in public life.
The Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Madam Beatrice B. Boateng, who is also an elected assembly member of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly, advised women to rise above reproach in the face of all challenges and prove their worth, stressing that some women had been able to make it, despite the challenges.
She mentioned poverty as a major challenge that prevented women form aspiring to greater heights and pointed out that the problems could be overcome with determination, perseverance, hard work and optimism.
Mr Rex Baah Antiri of the Ghana Education Service (GES) appealed to the government to create an enabling environment that would strengthen women to be part of decision-making, especially at the higher levels.
He called for sustained efforts to deal with all forms of violence against women and repressive cultural practices against women to enable them contribute their quota to development.
Participants suggested that efforts should be intensified to address the issue of gender stereotyping, as well as speed up the socialisation process and gender equality, adding that the empowerment of women should not be limited to those in the towns and cities, but extended to rural women.
The role of women in politics and public office is one of the current burning governance issues because of the perceived and acknowledged potential and contribution of women to governance processes.
Gender and policy advocacy organisations recognise that improving the lives of women and other members of society require a balanced gender representation in government structures by promoting greater responsiveness to women in politics and decision-making.
For some women who want to enter national politics, governance at the various levels, namely the local or district, regional and national, is crucial to them, since it provides them with good training grounds to improve their chances of being elected to political office to promote gender-balance in decision-making at all levels.
The involvement of more women in politics and decision-making is expected to meet their interests and basic needs and enable them continue influence policies from a gender perspective and addressing inequalities and injustices in social relationships.
The local government system has therefore become good grounds for some women, who want to enter into national politics. But the most difficult challenge that confront most women intending to enter into local government, is lack of funds.
To support women in the 2006 District Assembly elections, the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), launched the “Women in Local Government Fund” to assist women aspiring to take part in local government elections.
According to the Public Relations Officer of MOWAC, Mrs Addisa Ofori Adu, each of the 1,772 women who contested the 2006 District Assembly elections, received GH¢20.00 for their campaign activities.
She said the Department of Women in the various regions have been tasked to work in collaboration with the district assemblies and identify 20 women from each district to support them to take part in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
Speaking at a day’s review meeting on “Challenges and Prospects of Women in Decision-Making Positions”, in Koforidua recently, the Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Jane Kwapong, re-emphasised the need for the private sector, corporate bodies and related organisations and individuals to financially support the “Women in Local Government Fund”
She said society should see gender equality as a tool for sustainable development and called for support and encouragement by both men and women to ensure that more women were elected in the forthcoming district assembly elections.
Participants were drawn from civil society organisations, women’s groups, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Gender Desk Officers and assemblywomen.
She urged political parties to promote equal rights and opportunities for women and men to engage in political activities and take further steps to elect women in their “safe constituencies” to contest parliamentary elections to increase the number of women in parliament.
She said since women’s reproductive roles tended to militate against their participation in politics and other decision-making processes, there was the need to encourage the sharing of parental and household responsibilities to enable more women participate in public life.
The Member of Parliament for New Juaben South, Madam Beatrice B. Boateng, who is also an elected assembly member of the New Juaben Municipal Assembly, advised women to rise above reproach in the face of all challenges and prove their worth, stressing that some women had been able to make it, despite the challenges.
She mentioned poverty as a major challenge that prevented women form aspiring to greater heights and pointed out that the problems could be overcome with determination, perseverance, hard work and optimism.
Mr Rex Baah Antiri of the Ghana Education Service (GES) appealed to the government to create an enabling environment that would strengthen women to be part of decision-making, especially at the higher levels.
He called for sustained efforts to deal with all forms of violence against women and repressive cultural practices against women to enable them contribute their quota to development.
Participants suggested that efforts should be intensified to address the issue of gender stereotyping, as well as speed up the socialisation process and gender equality, adding that the empowerment of women should not be limited to those in the towns and cities, but extended to rural women.
Reducing maternal mortality is a concern for all
Article: Salome Donkor
When families lose their relations through maternal and neonatal death, the joy that motherhood brings to families and relatives turn into agony, suffering, pain and distress.
Stories of causes of maternal mortality and neonatal (new-born) mortality in Ghana and other developing countries with high rates of maternal mortality, paint a gloomy picture and portray a state of despair as a result of the slow progress being made in saving women’s lives quickly.
This is in view of the fact that the Ghana Demographic Health Survey, 1993 puts the maternal mortality rate in Ghana at 214 per 100,000 live births with a life time risk of one in 35, and health experts say the situation may not change by 2015 if no drastic measures are taken to reverse the situation.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2006, while women in northern Europe have a one in 4000 likelihood of dying from pregnancy-related causes, for those in sub-Saharan Africa, the chance is one in 16.
Available evidence shows that 75 per cent of these deaths are preventable and that the timely provision of blood transfusion, caesarian section, oxytocin and antibiotic therapy, and the timely management of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia are sufficient to reduce maternal mortality rates by 50 per 100,000 without the need for advanced technology and safe support mechanisms.
The problems cause more anxiety and uneasiness considering the fact that the factors that jeopardise maternal and new-born survival are preventable or treatable with essential services, and the most effective, affordable public health interventions.
Maternal mortality is defined by health experts as the death of a pregnant woman during her pregnancy or within 42 days of pregnancy termination. According to the experts, an obstetric emergency is not a situation where the expectant mother involved could be asked to come back the next day, since that can result in her death.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed to by world leaders in September 2000, included a specific target of reducing the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters by 2015 but health experts say the situation may not change by 2015 if no drastic measures are taken to reverse the situation.
An obstetric gynaecologist, formally at the Koforidua Regional Hospital, Dr J.E Taylor, once remarked that, “when a woman is pregnant, one of her legs is in the grave and depending on the care and treatment she receives, both legs can enter the grave or the other leg would come out of the grave”.
That is why the MDGs give a central place to maternal health and gender equality. MGD 5, improving maternal health, is often called “the heart of the MDGs” because if it fails, the other goals will also fail.
Evidence from 20 years of research and pilot interventions has identified five primary causes of deaths of pregnant women. Pregnancy-related conditions, also known as obstetric complications, include post-partum haemorrhage, (bleeding), eclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnancy), sepsis (infection), and prolonged or obstructed labour, as well as complications of abortion, and these are the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age in many developing countries.
Maternal mortality is a global issue and the concern for reducing maternal mortality stems from the fact that at least 583,000 women die each year from the complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The alarming situation is that, almost 90 per cent of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
An online report by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/UNICEF, 1999) estimates that there are 585,000 maternal deaths globally each year, resulting from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The situation in Ghana is equally gloomy with institutional maternal mortality rate of 250 per 100,000 live births.
In 2008, the then Minister of Health, the late Major Courage Quashigah (rtd) revealed that the country was not winning the war against maternal deaths (Daily Graphic, April 5, 2008). That statement might have touched the hearts of many people, including women in the reproductive age, as well as the relatives of people who have lost their dear ones through maternal and neonatal deaths.
Recently, a couple, Mr Thomas Vaah and his wife Mrs Elizabeth Vaah, came out into the open to complain about the mistreatment Mrs Vaah endured when she was admitted at the Lister Hospital for delivery (Daily Graphic, Saturday, April 10, 2010).
The essence of their story was that Mrs Vaah was admitted at the Lister Hospital for delivery. However, the hospital authorities did not approach their work with diligence and dedication leading to the unfortunate but avoidable death of the baby boy.
The traumatised couple has set up a foundation called “Vaah Junior Foundation for Better Maternal and Child Health” to serve as : A mouthpiece platform for families affected by such negligence, Create awareness on the prevalence of professional negligence in maternal and child health care delivery in Ghana, help provide legal backing for families affected by negligent and incompetent maternal and child health care service delivery, as well as institute an award scheme to reward and recognise exemplary service by maternal and child health personnel and service providers.
Barely two weeks after that incident, another pathetic story had been reported involving the death of the wife of a Deputy Minister of Energy, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, Mrs Fuseini, at the Police Hospital on April 21, during child birth at the Police Hospital in Accra (Daily Graphic, April 23, 2010).
A report quoted the Director-General of Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Timothy Ashiley as saying that the news came as a surprise, especially, when a research published recently indicated that the Police Hospital had the best maternal health standards in the country.
In an article written by Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, titled “Solidarity with the Vaahs”, published in the April 15, 2010 edition of the Daily Graphic, the author who said he had been a victim of the negligence of medical staff at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, said he had been paying for that since December, 1999.
He explained that his daughter who has a permanent brain impairment, could not speak and has problems with speech, and had since 2000 been on medication, which is usually imported specially for her.
It is obvious that husbands who have lost either their wives or children or both through child birth, due to various reasons, have stories to share, but most of such incidents or reports are not reported to draw public’s attention. They include stories involving expectant mothers who are carried in hammock to hospitals that are miles away, due to bad roads and lack of transport and health facilities that do not have the requisite drugs and equipment to make the process of child delivery smooth.
There are also cases of institutional delays at the health facility and the attitude of health professionals that contribute to maternal and neonatal deaths.
In 1987, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other United Nations agencies like UNICEF launched the Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI). Since then, efforts have been made to raise awareness about safe motherhood, set goals an priorities for the global Safe Motherhood Initiative and also support national safe motherhood programmes through the stimulation of research, mobilisation of resources, provision of technical assistance, and sharing of information to make childbirth and pregnancy safer.
These efforts have rallied interest and commitment from donors, programme planners, researchers and practitioners to reduce the maternal mortality rate, the indicator with the greatest disparity between developed and developing countries. Ghana adopted the SMI and that led to the initiation and implementation of Safe Motherhood programmes in the country.
In 1998, the government introduced free antenatal care for all pregnant women and in September 2003, a policy of exempting all users from delivery fees in health facilities was introduced.
The exemption policy was given a further boost in 2008 when the British government provided the Ghana Government with £42.5 million to provide free medical care for pregnant women under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
These were done to remove financial barriers to using antenatal and delivery care in public and private health facilities, in order to complement the role of dedicated and skilful health professionals to achieve a reduction in the maternal mortality rate.
In October 2007, the 62nd general Assembly of the United Nations approved a new target on universal access to reproductive health. The indicators of measuring progress towards the target included providing access to family planning to reduce unintended pregnancies of adolescents; and providing antenatal care to address health risks to mothers and children.
Reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of ill health and death for women of childbearing age world-wide. The impact of reproductive health intiatives is to make motherhood safer by; improving access to family planning in order to reduce unintended pregnancy and achieve preferred spacing between intended pregnancies; achieving skilled care for all births; and providing timely obstetric care for all women who develop complications during childbirth.
The 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) said almost all Ghanaian women (95 per cent) received some antenatal care from a skilled provider, most commonly from a nurse or midwife (63 per cent) and a doctor (24 per cent), adding that more than three-quarters of women had the recommended four or more antenatal visits, and 55 per cent of women had an antenatal care visit by their fourth month of pregnancy, as recommended.
Accessing antenatal and postnatal care enabled more women to take iron tablets or syrup and intestinal parasite drugs during their last pregnancy before the survey. Women who received antenatal care during their most recent births were informed of the signs of the complications of pregnancy, and were also protected against neonatal tetanus.
This year’s State of the World’s Children Report for 2009 prepared by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), called on political leaders, governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to generate action at all levels to address the problem of maternal and neonatal deaths.
A woman’s health is critical to the well-being of her family and to the economy of her community and her country. The health of a pregnant woman is even more special because she needs access to essential health services to save her life from death resulting from obstetric complications that cannot be predicted and are difficult to prevent.
The voices of persons whose lives have been lost due to maternal and neonatal deaths, such as Mrs Fuseini, Vaah Jnr and many others that are not known, are criying for immediate action at all levels to address the problem of maternal, neonatal and infant deaths, and the time to act is now.
When families lose their relations through maternal and neonatal death, the joy that motherhood brings to families and relatives turn into agony, suffering, pain and distress.
Stories of causes of maternal mortality and neonatal (new-born) mortality in Ghana and other developing countries with high rates of maternal mortality, paint a gloomy picture and portray a state of despair as a result of the slow progress being made in saving women’s lives quickly.
This is in view of the fact that the Ghana Demographic Health Survey, 1993 puts the maternal mortality rate in Ghana at 214 per 100,000 live births with a life time risk of one in 35, and health experts say the situation may not change by 2015 if no drastic measures are taken to reverse the situation.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 2006, while women in northern Europe have a one in 4000 likelihood of dying from pregnancy-related causes, for those in sub-Saharan Africa, the chance is one in 16.
Available evidence shows that 75 per cent of these deaths are preventable and that the timely provision of blood transfusion, caesarian section, oxytocin and antibiotic therapy, and the timely management of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia are sufficient to reduce maternal mortality rates by 50 per 100,000 without the need for advanced technology and safe support mechanisms.
The problems cause more anxiety and uneasiness considering the fact that the factors that jeopardise maternal and new-born survival are preventable or treatable with essential services, and the most effective, affordable public health interventions.
Maternal mortality is defined by health experts as the death of a pregnant woman during her pregnancy or within 42 days of pregnancy termination. According to the experts, an obstetric emergency is not a situation where the expectant mother involved could be asked to come back the next day, since that can result in her death.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed to by world leaders in September 2000, included a specific target of reducing the number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters by 2015 but health experts say the situation may not change by 2015 if no drastic measures are taken to reverse the situation.
An obstetric gynaecologist, formally at the Koforidua Regional Hospital, Dr J.E Taylor, once remarked that, “when a woman is pregnant, one of her legs is in the grave and depending on the care and treatment she receives, both legs can enter the grave or the other leg would come out of the grave”.
That is why the MDGs give a central place to maternal health and gender equality. MGD 5, improving maternal health, is often called “the heart of the MDGs” because if it fails, the other goals will also fail.
Evidence from 20 years of research and pilot interventions has identified five primary causes of deaths of pregnant women. Pregnancy-related conditions, also known as obstetric complications, include post-partum haemorrhage, (bleeding), eclampsia (high blood pressure in pregnancy), sepsis (infection), and prolonged or obstructed labour, as well as complications of abortion, and these are the leading causes of death among women of reproductive age in many developing countries.
Maternal mortality is a global issue and the concern for reducing maternal mortality stems from the fact that at least 583,000 women die each year from the complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The alarming situation is that, almost 90 per cent of these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
An online report by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund (WHO/UNICEF, 1999) estimates that there are 585,000 maternal deaths globally each year, resulting from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. The situation in Ghana is equally gloomy with institutional maternal mortality rate of 250 per 100,000 live births.
In 2008, the then Minister of Health, the late Major Courage Quashigah (rtd) revealed that the country was not winning the war against maternal deaths (Daily Graphic, April 5, 2008). That statement might have touched the hearts of many people, including women in the reproductive age, as well as the relatives of people who have lost their dear ones through maternal and neonatal deaths.
Recently, a couple, Mr Thomas Vaah and his wife Mrs Elizabeth Vaah, came out into the open to complain about the mistreatment Mrs Vaah endured when she was admitted at the Lister Hospital for delivery (Daily Graphic, Saturday, April 10, 2010).
The essence of their story was that Mrs Vaah was admitted at the Lister Hospital for delivery. However, the hospital authorities did not approach their work with diligence and dedication leading to the unfortunate but avoidable death of the baby boy.
The traumatised couple has set up a foundation called “Vaah Junior Foundation for Better Maternal and Child Health” to serve as : A mouthpiece platform for families affected by such negligence, Create awareness on the prevalence of professional negligence in maternal and child health care delivery in Ghana, help provide legal backing for families affected by negligent and incompetent maternal and child health care service delivery, as well as institute an award scheme to reward and recognise exemplary service by maternal and child health personnel and service providers.
Barely two weeks after that incident, another pathetic story had been reported involving the death of the wife of a Deputy Minister of Energy, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, Mrs Fuseini, at the Police Hospital on April 21, during child birth at the Police Hospital in Accra (Daily Graphic, April 23, 2010).
A report quoted the Director-General of Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Timothy Ashiley as saying that the news came as a surprise, especially, when a research published recently indicated that the Police Hospital had the best maternal health standards in the country.
In an article written by Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh, titled “Solidarity with the Vaahs”, published in the April 15, 2010 edition of the Daily Graphic, the author who said he had been a victim of the negligence of medical staff at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, said he had been paying for that since December, 1999.
He explained that his daughter who has a permanent brain impairment, could not speak and has problems with speech, and had since 2000 been on medication, which is usually imported specially for her.
It is obvious that husbands who have lost either their wives or children or both through child birth, due to various reasons, have stories to share, but most of such incidents or reports are not reported to draw public’s attention. They include stories involving expectant mothers who are carried in hammock to hospitals that are miles away, due to bad roads and lack of transport and health facilities that do not have the requisite drugs and equipment to make the process of child delivery smooth.
There are also cases of institutional delays at the health facility and the attitude of health professionals that contribute to maternal and neonatal deaths.
In 1987, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other United Nations agencies like UNICEF launched the Safe Motherhood Initiative (SMI). Since then, efforts have been made to raise awareness about safe motherhood, set goals an priorities for the global Safe Motherhood Initiative and also support national safe motherhood programmes through the stimulation of research, mobilisation of resources, provision of technical assistance, and sharing of information to make childbirth and pregnancy safer.
These efforts have rallied interest and commitment from donors, programme planners, researchers and practitioners to reduce the maternal mortality rate, the indicator with the greatest disparity between developed and developing countries. Ghana adopted the SMI and that led to the initiation and implementation of Safe Motherhood programmes in the country.
In 1998, the government introduced free antenatal care for all pregnant women and in September 2003, a policy of exempting all users from delivery fees in health facilities was introduced.
The exemption policy was given a further boost in 2008 when the British government provided the Ghana Government with £42.5 million to provide free medical care for pregnant women under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
These were done to remove financial barriers to using antenatal and delivery care in public and private health facilities, in order to complement the role of dedicated and skilful health professionals to achieve a reduction in the maternal mortality rate.
In October 2007, the 62nd general Assembly of the United Nations approved a new target on universal access to reproductive health. The indicators of measuring progress towards the target included providing access to family planning to reduce unintended pregnancies of adolescents; and providing antenatal care to address health risks to mothers and children.
Reproductive health problems remain the leading cause of ill health and death for women of childbearing age world-wide. The impact of reproductive health intiatives is to make motherhood safer by; improving access to family planning in order to reduce unintended pregnancy and achieve preferred spacing between intended pregnancies; achieving skilled care for all births; and providing timely obstetric care for all women who develop complications during childbirth.
The 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) said almost all Ghanaian women (95 per cent) received some antenatal care from a skilled provider, most commonly from a nurse or midwife (63 per cent) and a doctor (24 per cent), adding that more than three-quarters of women had the recommended four or more antenatal visits, and 55 per cent of women had an antenatal care visit by their fourth month of pregnancy, as recommended.
Accessing antenatal and postnatal care enabled more women to take iron tablets or syrup and intestinal parasite drugs during their last pregnancy before the survey. Women who received antenatal care during their most recent births were informed of the signs of the complications of pregnancy, and were also protected against neonatal tetanus.
This year’s State of the World’s Children Report for 2009 prepared by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), called on political leaders, governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to generate action at all levels to address the problem of maternal and neonatal deaths.
A woman’s health is critical to the well-being of her family and to the economy of her community and her country. The health of a pregnant woman is even more special because she needs access to essential health services to save her life from death resulting from obstetric complications that cannot be predicted and are difficult to prevent.
The voices of persons whose lives have been lost due to maternal and neonatal deaths, such as Mrs Fuseini, Vaah Jnr and many others that are not known, are criying for immediate action at all levels to address the problem of maternal, neonatal and infant deaths, and the time to act is now.
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