Cynthia Morrison
The final draft of the Affirmative Action Bill is ready to be submitted to cabinet for consideration and approval.
Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Morrison, made this known to the media at a press conference held at the Information Ministry on Wednesday in Accra.
She said the Ministry would submit the final draft to Cabinet.
According to her, significant progress was made to review and finalise the Affirmative Action Bill with inputs received from institutions mentioned in the Bill.
Gender-based non-governmental organizations have been pushing for the passage of the Bill into law for more than a decade.
Recently, two women’s right groups, FES Ghana and FIDA called for the Bill to be sent to Parliament for consideration and passage.
Other Legislations
According to the Minister, the Ministry facilitated the passage of the Foster Care and Adoption regulations by Parliament in June, 2018.
“Sensitisation of key Stakeholders on Alternative Care, Adoption and Forster Care regulations are on-going with 290 foster parents and ten (10) Regional Foster Care Placement Committees trained,” she said.
“A draft Social Work Council Bill has been prepared by the Ministry to regulate the practise and training of social workers in Ghana,” according to her.
In the area of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, she said, there have been some initiatives and achievements.
“A Television (T.V) Talk Show dubbed “Girlz Girlz Power Talk Show” has been initiated by the Ministry and aired on GTV. It is an innovative approach to reach adolescent girls and young people with information to assist them in their developmental process,” she said.
The Ministry through national stakeholder consultations has developed and is implementing the Ghana National Action Plan Two (GHANAP 2) on the UN Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security to ensure the full representation and active participation of women in conflict and security management at all levels, according to her.
The Ministry, she added, in fulfilment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, has built the capacity of 28 Gender Desk officers and 40 officers in various Ministries Municipal and District Assemblies on the National Gender Policy.
To ensure sustainable progress on combatting discrimination against women, the Ministry organised a Youth Summit to empower boys and girls as partners in achieving gender equality, she noted.
BY Melvin Tarlue