GENDER ACTIVISTS across Africa have called for a more effective implementation of policies that secure the rights of women and girls.
The consensus was reached at a recently held review meeting of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action on the empowerment of women where the participants indicated that although the African continent has come a long way in ensuring the rights of women and girls are protected, there were still some hindrances that needed to be addressed.
The meeting, held in Accra, formed part of the Beijing +25 consultative processes, on the progress of the implementation of the Plan of Action since the agreement was signed almost 25 years ago in Beijing, China.
Organized by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) in partnership with NETRIGHT, the meeting had participants from Ghana, Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and other African countries.
Programme Manager of NETRIGHT, Patricia Blankson Akakpo, noted that since the adoption of the declaration, there has been gradual progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment across the world.
She said on the African continent, the declaration accelerated activism within the women’s movement and propelled governments to set up Women Affairs Ministries which have overtime metamorphosed into Gender Ministries.
Madam Akakpo nonetheless noted that slow implementation, lack of political will, and accountability in resourcing and translating women’s’ rights and gender equality commitments made over the years into full reality to address abject poverty, low status and gender-based violence against women, still remained a challenge.
“Structural inequalities still persist in many countries preventing full achievement of women’s rights and gender equality,” she noted.
Dr Charity Binka, a board member of FEMNET West Africa, called for the need to assess what has been achieved so far in empowering woman, adding that it was time to build on the successes of the Beijing declaration in going forward.
“The Beijing +25 review process is expected to offer the opportunity to look back on what has been achieved and what needs to be done,” she said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri