Give us paternity holidays

A suggestion has been made for a legislation that will allow for married men in government establishments to go on paternity leave as their spouses. This will create the enabling environment for the men to support their spouses after the women have delivered.

The legislation will also make the issue of gender equality more meaningful and realistic. Anim Danquah, Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the National Service Secretariat (NSS), made the suggestion a two day orientation workshop at Koforidua for service personnel in the region.

He enjoined the Ministry of Women and Children?s Affairs to lead the effort for the enactment of such legislation. Danquah suggested that married women should also be encouraged to include names of their husbands in their will.

The Danish Development Agency (DANIDA) supported workshop is a project country wide designed to train service personnel as district co-ordinators to implement programmes which could be beneficial to women and children. The service personnel are to be used as district focal persons for the Ministry of Women and Children?s Affairs.

Participants were taken through ?overview of MOWAC and role of district co-ordinators?, discussions on women and children?s issues? and ?challenges facing the district co-ordinator?. Opening it, the Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, said the government would not play politics with Women and Children?s Ministry since every nation?s future depended on the investment made in its children.

He said although women constitute half of the world?s population, their huge human resources had been left untapped, thereby rendering developing countries poor. The Regional Minister said that the government was determined to address issues confronting children such as street children, child trafficking, AIDS, Orphans, and educating the girl-child, and appealed to the Service Personnel to stay and work with the Ministry when their service period ended.