Women groups asked to support counterparts

Women Groups have been challenged to collaborate to ensure more women were elected during the district assembly elections to promote and sustain gender equity and equality.

This is because the nation has signed international conventions, treaties and protocols to promote and sustain the cause of women, efforts have been made which include the introduction of the 1992 Constitution, National Gender Police and establishment of the Ministry of Gender Children and Protection.

 Magdalene Kannae, formerly of Institute of Local Government Studies (I LGS) threw the challenge at a press conference on ‘increasing women’s inclusion in the 2019 District Level Elections’ in Accra, which brought together aspirating assembly women, presiding women, selected women, women organisations and was organised by ABANTU for Development, a non-governmental organisation sought to promote the cause of women in the country.

She noted that the election of women into district assemblies would promote Sustainable Development Goals and also promote decision making processes.

The Executive Director of ABANTU for Development, Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin, appealed to the media to collaborating with women group organisation to ensure that women were elected to the district assembly elections to promote democratic dispensation and good governance.

A female aspirant, Regina Dede Amanquah, who shared her experience as a candidate, mentioned some of the factors affecting them as stereotyping, lack of finance, threats, insults, intimidation and commended ABANTU and other women organisations for their support and assistance for women to vote for them in the upcoming district assembly elections.

A Programme Officer for ABANTU for Development, Grace Ampomaa Afrifa, said women representation in the district assemblies had continuously remained very low since they had failed to attain the 30 per cent United Nations recommended minimum threshold representation in the assemblies.

“The highest number of elected women in the district assemblies was in 2006 when 478 women were elected out of a total membership of 4732 and only 282 women got elected in 2015 out of a total number of 6061 members nationwide.

“The nation’s decentralisation system has given district assemblies a pivotal role as the basic units of local governance that is meant to promote accountability in terms of facilitating equal opportunities for all.

ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI