PPAG/OXFAM CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

As part of activities to commemorate International Women’s Day 2023, the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG) with funding from OXFAM under the Power to Choose Project held an International Women’s Day (IWD) seminar under the theme “Ending inequality against women: a task for all”.

Panellists at the seminar were, Kafui Dey, a renowned Journalist and author, Fauzia Abdul Rahman, the Power to Choose Project Coordinator, Maame Ama Pratt, a gender advocate, and Shamima Muslim, a development communication specialist and the Convenor of Alliance for Women in Media.

Maame Ama Pratt encouraged women to be intentional about what they deserve and not to normalize the inequalities perpetrated against them. She applauded PPAG’s role in fighting inequalities against women and adolescent girls and urgent the Association not to relent in its efforts.

The Power to Choose Project Coordinator, Fauzia Abdul Rahman stressed the need for existing laws against inequalities, such as those on child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) to be strictly enforced. She reiterated OXFAM’s support to PPAG in its advocacy for women and girls.

Renowned Media practitioner, Kafui Dey noted that, ending inequalities mean giving opportunity to everyone and offering the needed support for growth.  For Shamima Muslim, equity is better appreciated if the concept is directly applied to their personal circumstances. She cited the family as an example of a unit with individuals having different needs, yet the family thrives to attain all these. She called on participants to therefore have personal reflections on the theme, to see which part of their lives have been negatively affected by gender inequalities and to speak against same.

Chairperson of the event and the Executive Director of PPAG, Madam Abena Adubea Amoah, said that IWD is set aside to take stock of how far women have come. Nonetheless, she was worried about the low numbers of women representation in parliament and other decision-making roles. Madam Abena Amoah encouraged the need for women to be given opportunities. She said many organizations have failed at providing office nurseries where mothers upon resumption from maternity leave, could nurse their babies while they work. She encouraged the need to support women to climb up the ladder, while attending to their natural reproductive functions.

Participants at the seminar said that, gender equity should be promoted at all levels and in addition men and society in general must be re-oriented to appreciate “the empowered women” rather than see her as a competitor.

International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated March 8 is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Globally, this year’s celebration was under the theme: Digital Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality. At PPAG, the day was among other importance, used to advocate for holistic sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and adolescent girls.