Accra, April 28, GNA - Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills, the First Lady on Thursday called on women across the globe to make their voices heard by allowing peace and democracy to prevail. She said in times of unrest the most vulnerable are women and children, adding that women are also the bedrock of society. Speaking at the opening of the 20th conference of Zonta International District 18 in Accra, she said the need for peace in the sub-region could not be overemphasised. Mrs Mills said the day's conference which was aimed at advancing the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy was timely, especially coming immediately after the International Women's Day. "It will definitely keep the agenda of women at the fore of the minds of national leaders." It was on the theme: 93Relate, Empower, Advocate and Liberate." Mrs Mills commended the activities of Zonta in the provision of mobile clinics, safe houses, breast cancer awareness, girl science scholarships and HIV awareness. Mrs Mills said Zonta's contribution would help attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through the Zonta Ghana Anaemia Prevention Project which aims at complimenting government's effort at empowering women to attain their goals.

"The MDGs challenge governments to work towards eradicating poverty, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality, reduce child mortality and improve maternal death by 2015," she said. Mrs Stella Bentsi-Enchill, District 18 Governor, said since the last conference held by the district 14 years ago, a lot of change had occurred in Africa that had drastically affected the lives of women and children, increasing their needs and their ability to improve their status as women through service and advocacy. "So it is important for us as Zontians, as citizens of this great continent of ours to find ways in which we relate to the needs of others, empower, to advocate=85 and to liberate our mothers, sisters and daughters, so as to make Zonta real in our clubs, our areas and our districts and to ensure that there is a positive change on our continent," she said.

She called on Zontians to endeavour to relate to the underprivileged women in the district especially those in conflict situations. "Let advocate the passage of laws and regulations that will enable all women, especially those unfortunate majority in the rural areas, to enable them to surmount their disadvantages and liberate them from human trafficking, negative cultural practices to reduce the limitation to women's advancement in the 21st century." Speaking on the topic: 93The Challenges Faced by Government and Communities to Stem the Tide of Trafficking of Women and Children within West African Sub-Region", Ms Anna Bossman, Acting Commissioner, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, said children were being trafficked daily by some relatives to destinations they had no knowledge about.

She said such relatives promised to take care of the children but they never did so, adding that these children were found at different locations doing all kinds of domestic work such as hawking, fishing and prostitution.

Ms Bossman noted that unfortunately children who were usually trafficked were from poor background and with little or no education and attributed this to poverty and ignorance. She added that Ghana had been identified as transit and destination of human trafficking.

Ms Bossman explained that government was doing its best to combat child trafficking through rescue missions and awareness creation and charged the government to bring perpetrators to book. Mrs Hanna Tetteh, Minister of Trade And Industry, speaking on the "Emergence of Women in Small and Medium Enterprises to Propel Private Sector Growth," said women empowerment was crucial in the development of the private sector.

"Women are able to think beyond their businesses," she noted, and said working with stakeholders and other agencies in the programme had empowered women in their business.

Zonta International seeks to advance the status of women by improving their legal, political, economic, educational, health and professional status at the global and local levels.