NETRIGHT displeased with demand for stoning of women

The Network for Women’s Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT), has spoken against a statement by Mr Nelson Abudu Baani, Member of Parliament (MP) for Daboya Makarigu on the need to stone women who engage in adultery.

Dr Akua Britwum, Convener of NETRIGHT, said the network finds the MP’s statement on the floor of parliament backward and prejudice, provocative in an environment where the nation is struggling to curb constant physical and mental abuse of women in all spheres of the society.

She said in a statement that the network received with shock and deep concern the pronouncement of the MP since it has the potential to incite male chauvinists to take the law into their owns hands and assault their wives on the pretence of committing adultery.

She said the deeper concern of NETRIGHT is the timing of the statement, at a period when a number of gender sensitive legislation such as the affirmative action policy, would be put to the house.

Dr Britwum noted that Ghana is known for its democratic principles and rule of law, therefore as a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Human Rights Protocol the statement is an indictment on the nation and betrays the very tenets of the constitution.

She indicated that it is clear that Mr Baani lacks appreciation for human life and disrespects women who constitute the majority citizens on whose vote he became a member of parliament.

“While we believe that parliament does not encourage such thinking we will like the house to begin the process of deep questioning to unravel the kinds of messaging on women’s rights and general level of gender sensitivity among parliamentarians that encouraged such utterances on its floor”, she added.

She said the statement casts serious doubts on the ability of parliament to promote women’s rights and ensure gender sensitivity.

“How shocking and disgusting the statement was received among the… public is indicative of the level of intolerance to women’s rights abuses,” she added.

She expressed gratitude to individuals who have condemned the statement and many more before it.

She also called on all well-meaning men of Ghana to treat the MP’s statement with strong contempt and shun gender based violence to ensure peace and sustainable development.

She called on Mr Baani to openly acknowledge that he erred in his statement.

She also called on him to retract the statement and apologise to Ghanaian women on the very platform he made the statement on and resign from Ghana’s Parliament to show his remorse.

She indicated that the network demand adequate assurance from parliament that the statement is an isolated event.

She also called on the house to show measures it has instituted to prevent such statements and even less provocative ones to be uttered by its members.

The Convener said such assurances are important for they underscore for Ghanaian women the ability of parliament to infuse gender sensitivity into legislation and give the required importance to those that seek to give women greater protection.