By Deborah Asantewaah SARFO
Action Aid Ghana, a social justice organisation, has called for the urgent need to harness the power of the Affirmative Action Bill to redress enduring systematic discrimination and power disparities against women and girls.
In a press statement, they assert that the bill empowers women and girls and presents interest parties an opportunity to redistribute power, thereby addressing the systematic discrimination and power imbalances that have plagued women and girls for years.
According to the Country Director for ActionAid Ghana, John Nkaw, the bill is timely, underscoring its potency in eradicating long-standing gender inequality that emanates from patriarchal socio-cultural systems and norms.
“This timely legislation will go a long way toward eradicating the age-long gender inequality and help in addressing power imbalances in the country stemming from historical discrimination against women and persistent patriarchal socio-cultural systems and norms,” he stated.
As citizens and CSO’s celebrate the new development, he urged them to study the contents of the bill and determine how they can monitor its effective implementation and practice.
AAG says enforcement of the bill will not only catalyse economic empowerment for women, but also foster an environment where they can contribute meaningfully to the nation’s development and possibly invest in their family’s health, education and well-being.
“We believe that the true impact of the bill hinges on the swift and comprehensive implementation of the provisions, they said, urging the President to assent to the Bill expeditiously and ensure the provisions of the law are translated into concrete actions.”
While the organisation, lauds the Parliament of Ghana for taking steps to pass the gender equity bill, they also called on the government, civil society, private sector and all Ghanaians to support fully implementing the Affirmative Action Bill.
