By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Effia (WR), Nov. 17, GNA – Participants at the Western Regional Dialogue on Election 2024 have called for support for women and vulnerable candidates in the December polls to enable them to engage and demand inclusive, responsive and accountable governance.
The dialogue, organised by the Network for Women’s Rights (NET RIGHT) in collaboration with Star Ghana, also touched on hate speech against women who stand for elections and appealed to husbands to support their wives with the zeal to occupy political positions.
The Regional Dialogue falls under the “Advancing Gender Responsive Governance and Inclusive Democracy in Ghana” project, implemented by NETRIGHT/Star Ghana with the hope of empowering women, young people and socially excluded groups to demand for inclusive governance.
Ms Beatrice Ekua Ansah Eshon, the Executive Director of Advocates and Trainers for Children and Women Advancement and Rights (ATCWAR), who hosted the programme, took participants through the Gender Equality and Socially Inclusive (GESI) protocols, which advocate equality for all manner of persons.
The five domains of the GESI protocols are: Access, Decision-making, Participation , Systems, and Well-being.
These are intended to eliminate existing barriers to increase access, enable decision-making and participation of marginalised populations.
Ms Ansah Eshon said promoting inclusive policies and increasing the power of the excluded, women and the poor must be prioritised in creating a better society.
“This is why issues of such nature must not be relegated to the background. If the marginalised thrive, society in effect grows,” she said.
Mr Justice Ennin, the Western Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education, called for a 50 percent waiver on filling fees for women candidates, while others called for no fees at all since most female candidates did not have a strong financial backing.
GNA