IN the last few months, women groups have scaled up their demand for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law.
In their latest action, a group of Civil Society Organisation (CSOs) known as ‘CSOs Cluster on Decentralisation’ and ‘Citizens Participation’ embarked on a peaceful march in Accra, to press home their demand for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law before the end of October this year.
The women group’s agitation is due to the long delay in the passage of the bill which has suffered a number of setbacks for more than a decade now.
The bill, seeking to increase participation of women in decision making, was first mooted in 2011, by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
Currently before parliament, the draft Affirmative Action Bill, received parliamentary approval in 2015 but failed to reach consideration stage before the end of the 5th parliament of the 4th republic.
Basically, when passed into law, Affirmative Action will require the government to ensure equitable gender representation at all levels of governance and decision making in Ghana and address other socio-economic imbalances.
It will, therefore, affect women representation in the public service, ministerial positions, independent constitutional bodies, boards of state institutions, amongst others.
It is, therefore, a very important law that Ghana must pass if she is keen on empowering women and girls to promote gender equity.
What the CSOs are doing is not different from what others are doing in other countries to ensure that all forms of discrimination against women and girls are eliminated.
The Ghanaian Times shares in the sentiments expressed by the CSOs and urges parliament to heed their call and pass the bill into law.
We think the demand is a just call and the state is obligated to see to the passage of the law in support of the demand by women.
The more the nation delays in the passage the law, the longer the discrimination, inequalities as well as a social injustice, remains.
We, therefore, call on all Ghanaians to support the advocacy and as has been stated earlier, parliament must listen to the women’s groups and do the needful.