FIDA- Ghana and United Nations Population Development Fund has organised a National Male Conference to effectively involve men in the promotion of gender equality, rights and reproductive health.<\/p>\n
The initiative would also improve quality of life to facilitate sustainable development.<\/p>\n
The conference was aimed at mobilising male awareness and commitment to engage in promoting women rights, elimination of abuse and violence and pursuance of advocacy in improving the delivery of social services for women as well as maternal and child mortality.<\/p>\n
It also served as a platform to develop a plan of action and communiqu\u00e9 on male involvement and male champions for engagement at all levels.<\/p>\n
The event which was on the theme: \u201cMen as Partners, Promoting Reproductive, Maternal Health and Gender Equality in Ghana,\u201d brought together about 200 participants including representatives of male associations and groups, representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations and women\u2019s human rights advocates.<\/p>\n
Others were programme implementers, researchers and evaluators, professionals in sexual and reproductive health, HIV and\/AIDS communities, development partners and donors.<\/p>\n
Participants were taken through topics such as demography and Development in Ghana, Sexual and Reproductive Rights Issues in Ghana-Implication for maternal and child health, Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Men and Young People in Ghana.<\/p>\n
Other topics comprised Legal and Policy Perspective on Human and Reproductive Rights in Ghana and Challenges of Engaging Men in Promoting Gender Equality and Addressing Gender Based Violence in Ghana.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the conference, Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood said promoting gender equality in health over the years had been limited to education and empowerment of women which had been largely driven by women.<\/p>\n
She said in spite of the importance of male involvement to advance gender equality and to improve both men\u2019s and women\u2019s reproductive health, only few activities had actually been carried out.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus has begun to shift at the International level and Ghana\u2019s concerted effort to revisit men\u2019s roles and identities in order to increase men\u2019s involvement in working towards gender equality in the traditionally women driven reproductive health rights is highly recommendable\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
Mrs Wood called for active engagement of men in gender equality and its related issues affecting sexual and reproductive health of women was not borne out of an inclination towards blind feminism.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is well intentioned and borne out of the realisation that a balance in the power and privilege, responsibilities and resources of men and women in these critical areas invariably inure to the benefit of all concerned, men, their partners and children,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
She said reports had shown that men\u2019s involvement in maternal and child health programmes could reduce maternal and child mortality, men\u2019s own physical and mental health and well-being.<\/p>\n
She indicated that traditional exclusion of men from family planning and reproductive health services had not reduced birth rate but rather escalated it.<\/p>\n
She said this had often resulted in unwanted pregnancy putting women\u2019s reproductive health at serious risk and causing maternal deaths.<\/p>\n
\u201cReports had shown that men provided with information on ante-natal care issues encourage their wives to attend ante-natal clinics more often than those with little information and are often supportive when health care decisions are being taken,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
She commended FIDA-Ghana and UNFPA for their strong commitment towards promoting issues on gender equality and reproductive for national development.<\/p>\n
Barbara Oteng Gyasi, President of FIDA-Ghana expressed concern of working with men on gender equality and reproductive health due to gender norms and unequal gender relations.<\/p>\n
She said these gender norms convince young men to view sexual initiation and fatherhood as a way to prove they are \u2018real men\u2019 to affirm their identity.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch influence has resulted in boys impregnating young girls or even close relatives resulting in higher rate of teenage pregnancies as well as an increased dropout rate for girls in schools\u201d, she said.<\/p>\n
Mr Bawa Amadu, Assistant Representative of UNFPA pledged the commitment of the body to deepen engagement with men and young people and advance boundaries to achieve positive maternal and reproductive health, gender equality and equity at both national and sub-national levels in the country. <\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FIDA- Ghana and United Nations Population Development Fund has organised a National Male Conference to effectively involve men in the promotion of gender equality, rights and reproductive health. The initiative would also improve quality of life to facilitate sustainable development. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n