Parliament urged to incorporate CEDAW into law

Accra, Oct. 23, GNA- Nana Oye Lithur, a women's rights activist on Thursday called for more support to Parliament to promulgate the Convention On The Elimination Of All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) into law.

She said Parliament was deliberating on the Kimberley Process for the Certification of Diamonds, therefore more agitation and support was required for the CEDAW.

Nana Lithur, who is also the Secretary of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), urged women to lobby government," to ratify the Optional Protocol to CEDAW without any further delay".

This, she said, would enable affected women to submit complaints before an International Committee.

Nana Lithur was speaking at a media encounter on the status of CEDAW and strategies for the 2004 general elections organised by Women In Broadcasting (WIB) in collaboration with Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in Accra.

She said the Committee monitored the implementation of CEDAW by countries that had ratified the Convention, therefore, with the adoption of the Optional Protocol by Ghana, Ghanaian women affected could protest before the Committee.

Nana Lithur appealed to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and women's groups not to fail in their duties to women but present an alternate report to the committee since civil societies were allowed to submit reports to the committee alongside reports from specific countries for consideration.

She said without an alternative report there was the likelihood that a one-sided official report on programmes to implement CEDAW would not reflect the true picture.

Nana Lithur said although Ghana had ratified CEDAW, there was more work to be done in education and informing the public since government alone could not work on elimination of discrimination against women. "In Ghana CEDAW has been very useful, it is being used to advocate for the new Domestic Violence Bill. Ghana's ratification of CEDAW, particularly, facilitated the promulgation of PNDC Law 111," she added. Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Member of Parliament for Gomoa West, called for more action before and after any general elections to mobilise and empower women to participate fully in politics.

She urged women's rights activists to take messages of empowerment to rural women instead of concentrating their activities in the urban areas.

Dr Audrey Gadzekpo, lecturer at the School of Communications Studies, Legon said CEDAW provided an opportunity to hold the government accountable in ensuring justice for women.