Plan Ghana launches 2014 State of the World's Girls report
Two years ago, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to raise awareness about all issues concerning gender inequality around the world.
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Two years ago, the United Nations declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to raise awareness about all issues concerning gender inequality around the world.
To mark this year’s event, Plan International Ghana launched the 2014 State of the World's Girls report in Accra on Friday, as part of the organisation’s “Because I am a Girl (BIAAG)” initiative.
The report, which was launched on the theme, "Pathways to Power: Creating Sustainable Change for Adolescent Girls", is an annual report published by Plan Ghana which assesses the current state of the world's girl child.
Past reports have covered education, conflict, economic empowerment, how boys and young men could support gender equality and adolescent girls and disasters.
Key findings
The report identified seven underlying issues and barriers that contributed to the struggle girls and women faced in accessing their rights.
It said the legislation protecting girls and women was not always enforced because those responsible for putting the law into practice were often blinded by issues relating to discrimination against women and girls, adding that the implementation and enforcement of such legislation needed resources and training.
It said although educational opportunities for girls, particularly in terms of primary school enrolment, had improved, there were still fewer educational opportunities for girls than boys.
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“Our research shows that although families understand that girls have right to education, families with limited resources will rather invest in the education of boys,” it stated.
The report said women and girls performed more household chores and that impacted on the ability of girls to make any meaningful choice in their lives.
It cited the report of a research in 13 countries in West Africa, including Ghana, that indicated that “a primary way in which women are held back from attaining positions of autonomy and respect is the daily duties and routines that men rarely face”.
Additionally, it said early marriages and early pregnancy, and violence against girls and women were often seen as ‘normal’ such that some women grew believing that ‘simple injuries’ were acceptable in a relationship.
The report said there was a gap between the attainment of girls’ educational goals and their employment, with a combination of factors which included structural barriers, discrimination, cultural attitudes about the role of women in society and caring responsibilities.
Launch of the report
Launching the report, a Justice of the Court of Appeal, Lady Justice Avril Lovelace-Johnson, said the pathway to empowering adolescent children, or girls through education, was certainly achievable if stakeholders would come together in the spirit of teamwork and apply themselves to the cause.
She said an educated girl was less likely to totally agree to marry and have children because she was more likely to want to better herself, mature into full adulthood, and earn an income before venturing on the path of marriage so she could be of better service to her family, community and country.
Lady Justice Lovelace-Johnson said on a daily basis, adolescent girls and women go through a series of emotional, psychological and physical assault.
However, she said, there were established laws to deal with such violence against women and children but enforcing them had always been a challenge not because the victims tended to be reluctant to make a report to the police or even testify in court but because of the fear of victimisation in society.
“Our girls have to be encouraged to be bold. They need assurance that mechanisms put in place for their protection are effective. After all, if there is no such effective mechanisms, what is a child who will report an abusive parent supposed to do after such a report?” she said.
Remarks
In her remarks, the Director, Girls Education Unit of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Mrs Catherine Mikado, said it was unfortunate that after many years of fighting gender inequality and injustice against girls, such situation still existed.
She, therefore, called on young girls to report all forms of abuses against them, such as rape, verbal or physical violence that were perpetuated by teachers, boys and sometimes guardians, to the rightful authorities for them to be dealt with.
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For her part Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Lydia Osei Agyapong, from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU), said abuse of both girls and women could affect their physical and mental health as well as undermine their development as adults and good parents..
The Country Director of Plan Ghana, Mr Prem Shukla, called for a conscious effort to engage women and girls equally in leadership and decision making.
That, he said, was a sure way to achieve prosperity for all, adding that a real and lasting improvement in the lives of women and girls was essential to enable them to become leaders in the communities, workplaces and for their families.