Women Manifesto Marks 10th Anniversary

Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye holding the Women's Manifesto at the launch of the 10thanniversary

Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye holding the Women’s Manifesto at the launch of the 10thanniversary



Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye holding the Women’s Manifesto at the launch of the 10 th  anniversary

The Women’s Manifesto Coalition (WMC), under the initiative of Abantu for Development, a non-governmental organization, has kick-started activities to commemorate ten years of setting out critical issues of concern to women in Ghana.

The document, since its launch ten years ago, has raised concerns about the insufficient attention given to women in society and made demands for addressing this concern.

Dr. Esther Ofei-Aboagye, member of the Coalition, speaking at the media launch, said the anniversary would provide the platform for the country to reflect on how far it has come in meeting the demands made in the Manifesto.

She said although a lot had been achieved with the publication of the document, there was still a lot left undone.

‘This demonstrates that demanding social change is a difficult task and needs sustained action and more people to push things forward to ensure that we get to where we are going,’ she observed.

Dr. Rose Mensah-Kutin, Director of Abantu for Development, outlining the successes chalked via the Manifesto, said the mere existence of the Women’s Manifesto Coalition gave reason for celebration.

She said the document had been accepted by political parties, with governments implementing some of its demands.

‘Through the activities of the Women’s Manifesto Coalition, laws such as the Domestic Violence Act, Anti-human Trafficking and the Disability Act, have been passed,’ she asserted.

She also said the Manifesto had become one of the most widely disseminated documents of the Coalition – with over 10,000 copies distributed across the country, including copies translated into Akan, Ewe, Ga and Dagbani languages.

‘There is now greater visibility and acceptance of gender issues with the Manifesto being used as reference in some higher educational institutions,’ Dr. Mensah-Kutin said.

Hamida Harrison, convener of the Coalition, expressed the group’s gratitude to all who contributed to make the Women’s Manifesto a success.

She said, ‘Women will celebrate and mark the 10 th anniversary of the Manifesto with enhanced voices and expectation, demanding the satisfactory inclusion of expanded diversity of experiences in ways that are democratic and define genuine and equal community ownership.’

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri
 
 

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