INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY HELD AT HO (PAGE 36)

PUBLISHED MARCH 20


STORY: TIM DZAMBOE, HO

NINETY-THREE females out of 118,367 children between the ages of 12 and 14 years in the Volta Region were in married union, according to the population and 2000 housing census conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service.
The report further stated that 43 were married, 25 were in consensual union, with one separated, six divorced, while nine were widowed.
The Volta Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Lena Alai, quoted these figures at the regional durbar to commemorate the International Women’s Day celebration at Ho, to make a point on the essence of protecting females against gender-based inequalities.
It was on the theme: “Investment in the Education and Health of Women and Girls Contributes to Ghana’s Sustainable Development.”
Ms Alai said it was not likely that those girls affected by the social canker were likely to go back to school again if ever they had the chance, and that it was interesting to note that no boy within that age group was found to be married.
“Marriage poses very great challenges even for adults, some of whom find themselves in mental hospitals. It must, therefore, be a no-go area for girls too,” she stated.
Ms Alai said the nation was taking bold steps to ensure that women attained responsible positions in public life, and that nevertheless, women and girls faced many challenges in the areas of education and health care, which were inextricably linked.
She stated that a literate woman was better informed about her health needs and that of her family, adding that she was more likely to understand the consequences of poor sanitation and the benefits of nutritious diet.
An educated woman, she said, would be able to give correct dosage of medicine to her children and take measures to protect herself and her family from health and social issues, such as maternal and child mortality, stunted growth, malaria, uncontrolled birth, unwanted pregnancies, school dropout and teenage pregnancy.
According to Ms Alai, it was in line with that aspiration that two seasoned women from the Volta Region who had distinguished themselves in the fields of education and health were invited to impact on the participants.
No doubt, the choice of a consultant radiologist at the Radiology Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Mrs Klenam Dzefi-Tetteh, and Mama Agblatsu, an educationist and queen of Ho-Bankoe, generated so much enthusiasm that the seminar could have been endless due to the several questions that were asked by the participants.
Dr Dzefi-Tetteh said education investment in young women had been regarded by economists as the best form of investment and the benefits could be quite dramatic, adding that it had a multiplier effect on productivity and sustained economic growth.
She said the World Bank had announced that the more girls continued to enrol in senior high schools, the higher a country’s per capita income growth.
Dr Dzefi-Tetteh, therefore, declared that the time had come for families and communities to continue to invest in women and girls.
She added that “women rights begin with the girl-child who must be protected against discrimination, ill health, malnutrition, violence, forced marriage and exploitation”.
Dr Dzefi-Tetteh said direct advocacy should start from parents, traditional and religious leaders, parliamentarians and policy makers.
For her part, Mama Agblatsu, said investing in girl’s education brought in good dividends, which human profit could not be quantified but could be felt.
The Bankoe queen, however, emphasised that irrespective of laid down protocols, the investment in girls and women should start from birth through adolescence to old age.
The only man that dared the high table on women’s day celebration was the Paramount Chief of the Shia Traditional Area, Togbe Dadzawa, who advised young girls to pursue their courses with “academic discipline”.
He said they should be God-fearing and respectful in order to achieve their ambitions.