Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) Ghana with support from Plan International Ghana under its flagship project Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL), has organised a-two-day Northern Sector National Consultation towards the preparation of WRO/CSO/NGO Shadow Report to Ghana’s 8th and 9th Periodic Reports to the CEDAW Committee on Ghana’s implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women (CEDAW).
The Consultation had 40 participants drawn from the five administrative regions (Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West, and Upper East) of Northern Ghana.
It brought together WROs, networks, coalitions, gender experts, gender policy makers and implementers, development partners (DPs), and other key stakeholders from the State and Academia to inclusively discuss the extent of the implementation of the CEDAW treaty in Ghana and agree on critical areas of concern for consideration by the CEDAW Committee during its review of Ghana’s 8th and 9th Periodic Reports.
The meeting also agreed on a consultation roadmap for further buy-ins and engagement with the CEDAW Committee.
The Consultation presented a unique opportunity and space for activists in the Northern Sector to identify some key challenges facing the implementation of the CEDAW Convention and re-strategise innovative ways to push the CEDAW Agenda in the areas of the three key principles of Non-discrimination, Substantive Equality, and State Obligation.
Madam Gloria Kankam, the Advocacy Communication and Networking Manager WiLDAF Ghana, said at the last UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women (CEDAW) committee meeting Ghana was tasked to do something about violence against women as well as passing an anti-witchcraft bill into law and also close down the alleged witches camps in Ghana.
“ Last week a 60-year-old woman was killed and that is one of the reasons why we are here to bring the north part of Ghana perspective to this report and so we need an inclusive report from both northern and southern Ghana”.
According to her, Ghana needs more awareness creation and education on issues of people’s human rights to be domesticated.
She indicated that the consultation will make the CEDAW committee report more available to CSOs, government, stakeholders, and other organizations so that it will help enhance their work.
Executive Director of SWIDA-GH, Hajia Alima Sagito-Saeed, was of the view that women should be angry enough to demand their rights.
“Women are supposed to raise safe communities and if they are not safe I’m wondering how they will be committed to easing safe communities. We need policymakers to protect us and those with state authority must implement laws and must be able to solve problems and target well to get punishment to those who deserve it if women and children are not safe we cannot save society safe”.
The Executive Director of Aid for Socio-Economic and Rural Development (ASERD-GHANA) Benjamin Dimongso Kafari, also noted that the passage of the Anti-Witchcraft Bill will protect the rights of women as well as protect the dignity in the various communities.
“The Anti-Witchcraft Bill will prevent people from taking the law into their own hands and so if people are educated on the bill and they know the consequences of their action it will scare them from accusing people of being witches or wizards”.
BY Eric Kombat, Tamale