By Gilbert Azeem Tiroog
Bolgatanga, March 9, GNA – The Widows and Orphans Movement (WOM), a women’s rights Non-profit organization in the Upper East Region in Partnership with WaterAid Ghana, has engaged 12 women groups in four Districts on Sexual Reproductive Health, to mark the international women’s Day.
The women groups, drawn from Bongo, Kassena Nankana West, Builsa North and the Kassena Nankana Municipal were schooled on Sexual Health and reproductive rights, Menstrual and waste management and how to generally champion their development needs.
The one- day workshop held in Bolgatanga also offered a platform for the women to share their experiences and some of the challenges that retarded their development Socially, Culturally and Economically.
It formed part of a four- year Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project, sponsored by Global Affairs, Canada and focuses on Sexual Health and reproductive rights of young girls and women, Menstrual Hygiene management, Gender Violence against women and girls and promoting women rights.
The International women’s Day is a global day set aside to celebrate the Social, Economic, Cultural, and political achievements of women and raise awareness about gender disparities and discrimination as well as promote global support for women.
The theme for this year is dubbed “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality”, which highlights the gender gaps in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and draws attention to the online harassment many women face.
Ms Fati Abigail Abdulai, the Executive Director of the Women and Orphans Movement, noted that in celebrating the contributions of Women to the development of the world, it was important to reflect on some of the challenges women were confronted with and develop action plans targeted at solving those issues.
She said the cost of menstrual management, Gender violence against women and stereotypes constructed by the society against women and girls were some major concerns of women and there was the need for deliberate actions by government and major stakeholders to tackle the menace.
Ms Abdulai advocated the removal of taxes on sanitary pads, to reduce its cost and help lift off the burden on women and girls to avert situations where vulnerable young girls were lured with money because of their economic liability by unsuspecting men who ended up impregnating them, thus ruining their careers.
Ms Aliu Fauzia, the Policy Officer, WaterAid Ghana, said the absence of water and sanitation facilities in communities and schools were major concerns of women and young girls and there was the need for deliberate action by the Government and stakeholders to tackle those issues.
She underscored the need for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene facilities in public places including Hospitals, schools and Markets to create an enabling environment for young women and people with disabilities to contribute fully to the development of the country.
GNA