Champion cause of vulnerable groups

The clerk of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rev. Dr Ayetey Nyampong, has called on women leaders to champion the cause of vulnerable groups in society.

According to him, the aged, old women and widows are people who face serious challenges in society; hence, the need to bring their problems to light in order to alleviate their suffering.

Rev. Dr Nyampong made the remarks at the opening of a one-week conference on women empowerment in Accra. Organised by ‘Tumekutana’, an association of Presbyterian women leaders in Africa, the event was on the theme: “Freedom in Christ: From Slavery to Empowerment.” It is being attended by 150 participants from 22 African countries.

He said it was unfortunate that old women were sometimes branded as witches and treated with disdain while widows suffered various forms of injustice, stressing that “these groups are the forgotten women of Africa who lack social and economic empowerment.”

Agents of Change

The Acting Director of the Department of Gender at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mrs Lena Alai, also urged the participants to aspire for influential positions in order to make meaningful contributions to the decision-making process in society. She added that “women must see themselves as agents of change who must help bring about changes that would be beneficial to the most vulnerable groups in society.”

Mrs Alai further called on society to treat women who had been freed from witches camps with respect in order to help their integration in society.

“It’s really unfortunate that some of these women are treated with so much scorn that they sometimes return to these camps because they see the place as safe havens,” she said.

Exploitation

The vice-president of Tumekutana, Mrs Veronica Muchiri, decried the high rate of trafficking of women from Africa to other parts of the world.

She said most of the women who were trafficked ended up in worse conditions, indicating that “these women are sometimes treated as slaves; they are exploited economically, abused sexually and in some cases they lose their lives. Women must, therefore, stand up and say no to human trafficking and all forms of slavery.”