Calls To End Child Marriage, Quicken Passage Of Affirmative Action Bill Heighten

The British High Commission, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Ministers, Members of Parliament and various stakeholders of Gender equality have fervently advocated for an end to child marriage, placing emphasis on the swift passage of the Affirmative Action Bill (AA Bill).

Recognising the urgency of addressing this critical issue, the collaborative call to action seeks to accelerate legislative measures that will protect vulnerable children and empower young girls.

The stakeholders voiced a shared concern over the detrimental impact of child marriage on the lives of countless children during a breakfast meeting at UK High Commission’s Residence to engage key stakeholders including Ministers, MPs and Civil Society Groups, as part of activities to mark 16 Days of Activism. The global theme for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence (GBV) 2023, is “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls”.

The stakeholders also discussed the recent approval of the of the Affirmative Action (Gender Equality) Bill (AA Bill) by Cabinet and its laying in Parliament and to identify ways to engage key stakeholders to ensure the bill is fully passed by Parliament into law and implemented to achieve gender parity and strengthen women’s role in governance and leadership. It also engaged participants in the 2023 Ambassador for a Day (AfD) initiative. The 4 winners and HoMs each shared their reflections and experiences in participating in the initiative and shadowing opportunities.

Child marriage

The United Kingdom (UK) High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, underscored the paramount importance of ending child marriage, declaring it a top priority for the UK.

She revealed that collaborating with other donor partners, the UK is actively supporting the global child marriage programme, spearheaded by UNICEF and UNFPA, with operations focusing on Ghana.

Thompson affirmed the UK’s unwavering commitment through this programme, emphasizing their dedication to the three Es: educating women and girls, empowering them, and eradicating violence against them.

The initiative aims to create a comprehensive approach to tackling challenges faced by young girls globally. Through these efforts, the UK High Commissioner envisions a future where all girls, regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, have equal opportunities to realize their full potential.

She said the focus on deprived communities underscores a commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that every girl has the chance to thrive and contribute to society.

AfD initiative

Touching on the Ambassador for a Day (AfD) initiative, the UK High Commissioner said aross the world, the UK government, with other nations and civil society organisations has held AfD competition which is changing the gender story of countries.

She recounted in Ghana, the British High Commission in partnership CAMFED, Plan International Ghana, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) launched their own Ambassador for a Day competition in February.

She explained that the AfD initiative provided winners with an opportunity to spend a day with a full-time Ambassador. Each winner also received long-term mentoring and care from the Mission they worked with.

Together British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson, Norwegian Ambassador, Ingrid Mollestad, French Ambassador Jules Armand Aniambossou and Swiss Ambassador Simone Giger had spent months reviewing the applications before deciding on four winners.

Giving an overview of their engagement with the AfD winners and the way forward, the British High Commissioner thanked all incredible partners: CAMFED, Plan International Ghana and UNFPA, and all women and girls the length and breadth of this country.

She remined the gathering of the need for equity, the need to create space for equality so that men and women around the world can stand shoulder-to-shoulder.

Decisive action

The Country Representative of the UNFPA, Dr Wilfred Ochan, urged stakeholders to take decisive and swift measures in ensuring every girl’s safety and autonomy.

Dr. Ochan bemoaned that child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and gender-based violence derail the lives of far too many girls.

He, therefore, underscored the significance of increased, targeted investments in sexual and reproductive health services and comprehensive sexuality education.

He stressed that these initiatives provide adolescent girls with the necessary tools to make informed decisions about their bodies, fostering empowerment and positioning them as catalysts for change and future leaders.

Calling for a redoubling of efforts, Dr. Ochan stressed the need to guarantee that every adolescent girl, embracing her diversity, can exercise her rights and choices.

This, he emphasised, is crucial for them to realize their fullest potential and build the future they envision.

AA Bill

The Director of Gender at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Faustina Acheampong, said the Ministry is going to move every means to ensure that the submission of the Affirmative Action Bill in her era to Cabinet will be the last.

Mrs Acheampong said a committee had been formed on the bill and they had since come up with a road map.

The roadmap, she disclosed included, a planned meeting with the Chief of Staff and the leadership of Parliament so that they would be aware of the bill’s content and defend it when it was brought before them.

She said it was also their plan to meet with the women’s caucus in Parliament; Parliamentary Select Committee on Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

“We also want to have meetings with non-governmental organisations and CSOs which are our mouthpiece in pushing this agenda. We want to update them on the bill so that at any point in time when they go out, they can do the advocacy on it.

“We are very certain that this year, based on the move the current minister is taking, the bill will move from Cabinet,” she said.

Women political representation

Lawyer and former Minister of Gender, Nana Oye Bampoe-Addo, said because women were in the minority and most parliamentarians were men, the bill would struggle to pass because it might not be a priority for the men.

She said if the bill was to pass within the current dispensation, then there would be a need to get men champions in addition to the women advocates in Parliament.

“Advocacy from a multi-layered perspective and approach will be needed. We must win over the national psyche to get the bill to pass,” she stressed.

For her part, the Executive Director of the Gender Centre, Dorcas Coker Appiah, said the country had not gone far in its democracy due to the exclusion of women from governance and decision making positions, adding that, inclusive growth was needed.

“Women are discriminated against in governance and decision making positions.The Affirmative Action Bill is aimed at enacting a gender equality law which will ensure inclusion”, she emphasised.

She said research had shown that there was gender imbalance in several spheres of life in the country, adding that women formed over 50 per cent of the country’s population yet the ratio of women in Parliament and the district assemblies was low.

Position

I believe that, in the realm of social progress, this dual call which echoes through the corridors of advocacy and policy reform is for our collective good.
As societies strive for greater inclusivity and gender equality, these issues have taken centre stage, demanding concerted efforts to dismantle deeply rooted prejudices and establish frameworks that foster a fair and just society.
That’s why all well-meaning Ghanaians must rise to occasion. The time to act is now, as the collective voice demanding social justice reaches a crescendo that cannot be ignored.