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A Mountain to Climb: Eliminating Discrimination against Women in Ghana

13 November 2014

In October, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) examined the report submitted by Ghana.

The CEDAW Committee is a United Nations body composed of independent experts. They are in charge of monitoring the implementation of the CEDAW Convention and give recommendations for UN Member States to fully implement the Convention.

WILPF’s Human Rights Programme attended the review of Ghana; here is the essential.

Credits: Stefano Peppucci
Credits: Stefano Peppucci
Violence against women: from “witch camps” to mutilations

Experts of the CEDAW Committee expressed great concern over the phenomenon of “witch camps”: women and girls accused of witchcraft endure such violence that they are forced to flee and seek refuge in camps, where they lack food, water, sanitation and education. Consequently, it is critical to ensure their rehabilitation and reinsertion into their families and communities.

In spite of its criminalisation, female genital mutilation (FGM) continues to be a pervasive practice in some regions of Ghana. The laws criminalising FGM now have to be fully implemented, in order for perpetrators to be brought to justice.

Over all, violence against women has yet to be effectively tackled in Ghana. The Domestic Violence Act adopted in 2007 is not fully implemented yet, and there is an urgent need to support victims and to prevent and punish all forms of violence against women.

Women’s access to justice

Although Ghana established two gender based and sexual offenses courts, women’s access to justice remains an issue of great concern to the Committee. Experts of the CEDAW Committee urge the Ghanaian authorities to increase women’s legal literacy, especially in rural areas, and to encourage women to seek justice before criminal courts rather than seeking alternative mediation.

Indeed, the customary judicial mechanisms in Ghana are still very often used, which worsens stigmatisation and discrimination against women in the justice system. It is therefore vital to raise awareness about the CEDAW convention at all levels, including among customary court officials, in order to overcome the harmful stereotypes that women face in accessing justice.

Human trafficking

Despite the adoption in 2005 of the Anti Human Trafficking Act and the creation of a trafficking database, Ghana remains a source, transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked mainly for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour.

The existing procedures and programmes established to assist victims and survivors of human trafficking are clearly inadequate. Therefore, the CEDAW Committee recommends that Ghana investigate and address the root causes of trafficking and prostitution by putting the emphasis on prevention efforts through poverty reduction strategies.

In addition, Ghana should provide assistance to victims of trafficking by increasing the number of shelters, and should also prosecute and punish the perpetrators of human trafficking.

What to do now?

We, in particular our members in Ghana, will monitor the implementation of the recommendations in Ghana. The concluding observations of the Committee are an essential advocacy tool to defend and protect human rights in Ghana. It will also be very important to refer back to these recommendations when other human rights bodies review the country.

In two years, Ghana will have to provide some update on the progress made since this review. In the meantime, we will have to multiply our efforts to promote the implementation of the CEDAW recommendations on the ground.

We will keep you updated on further outcomes of this process, so stay in touch and don’t forget to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our newsletter, so that you get the latest news directly in your inbox. female wrestling

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Matt Mahmoudi

Matt Mahmoudi (he/him) is a lecturer, researcher, and organizer. He’s been leading the “Ban the Scan” campaign, Amnesty International’s research and advocacy efforts on banning facial recognition technologies and exposing their uses against racialized communities, from New York City to the occupied Palestinian territories.

Berit Aasen

Europe Alternate Regional Representative

Berit Aasen is a sociologist by training and has worked at the OsloMet Metropolitan University on Oslo. She has 40 years of experience in research and consultancy in development studies, including women, peace, and security, and in later years in asylum and refugee studies. Berit Aasen joined WILPF Norway five years ago. She is an alternate member of the National Board of WILPF Norway, and representing WILPF Norway in the UN Association of Norway, the Norwegian 1325 network and the Norwegian Women’s Lobby. Berit Aasen has been active in the WILPF European Liaison group and is committed to strengthening WILPF sections and membership both in Europe and relations across continents.

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Melissa Torres

VICE-PRESIDENT

Prior to being elected Vice-President, Melissa Torres was the WILPF US International Board Member from 2015 to 2018. Melissa joined WILPF in 2011 when she was selected as a Delegate to the Commission on the Status of Women as part of the WILPF US’ Practicum in Advocacy Programme at the United Nations, which she later led. She holds a PhD in Social Work and is a professor and Global Health Scholar at Baylor College of Medicine and research lead at BCM Anti-Human Trafficking Program. Of Mexican descent and a native of the US/Mexico border, Melissa is mostly concerned with the protection of displaced Latinxs in the Americas. Her work includes training, research, and service provision with the American Red Cross, the National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Centre, and refugee resettlement programs in the U.S. Some of her goals as Vice-President are to highlight intersectionality and increase diversity by fostering inclusive spaces for mentorship and leadership. She also contributes to WILPF’s emerging work on the topic of displacement and migration.

Jamila Afghani

VICE-PRESIDENT

Jamila Afghani is the President of WILPF Afghanistan which she started in 2015. She is also an active member and founder of several organisations including the Noor Educational and Capacity Development Organisation (NECDO). Elected in 2018 as South Asia Regional Representative to WILPF’s International Board, WILPF benefits from Jamila’s work experience in education, migration, gender, including gender-based violence and democratic governance in post-conflict and transitional countries.

A woman in a blue, black, and white dress smiles radiantly in front of a leafy green background.

Sylvie Jacqueline Ndongmo

PRESIDENT

Sylvie Jacqueline NDONGMO is a human rights and peace leader with over 27 years experience including ten within WILPF. She has a multi-disciplinary background with a track record of multiple socio-economic development projects implemented to improve policies, practices and peace-oriented actions. Sylvie is the founder of WILPF Cameroon and was the Section’s president until 2022. She co-coordinated the African Working Group before her election as Africa Representative to WILPF’s International Board in 2018. A teacher by profession and an African Union Trainer in peace support operations, Sylvie has extensive experience advocating for the political and social rights of women in Africa and worldwide.

WILPF Afghanistan

In response to the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and its targeted attacks on civil society members, WILPF Afghanistan issued several statements calling on the international community to stand in solidarity with Afghan people and ensure that their rights be upheld, including access to aid. The Section also published 100 Untold Stories of War and Peace, a compilation of true stories that highlight the effects of war and militarisation on the region. 

IPB Congress Barcelona

WILPF Germany (+Young WILPF network), WILPF Spain and MENA Regional Representative

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Demilitarisation

WILPF uses feminist analysis to argue that militarisation is a counter-productive and ill-conceived response to establishing security in the world. The more society becomes militarised, the more violence and injustice are likely to grow locally and worldwide.

Sixteen states are believed to have supplied weapons to Afghanistan from 2001 to 2020 with the US supplying 74 % of weapons, followed by Russia. Much of this equipment was left behind by the US military and is being used to inflate Taliban’s arsenal. WILPF is calling for better oversight on arms movement, for compensating affected Afghan people and for an end to all militarised systems.

Militarised masculinity

Mobilising men and boys around feminist peace has been one way of deconstructing and redefining masculinities. WILPF shares a feminist analysis on the links between militarism, masculinities, peace and security. We explore opportunities for strengthening activists’ action to build equal partnerships among women and men for gender equality.

WILPF has been working on challenging the prevailing notion of masculinity based on men’s physical and social superiority to, and dominance of, women in Afghanistan. It recognizes that these notions are not representative of all Afghan men, contrary to the publicly prevailing notion.

Feminist peace​

In WILPF’s view, any process towards establishing peace that has not been partly designed by women remains deficient. Beyond bringing perspectives that encapsulate the views of half of the society and unlike the men only designed processes, women’s true and meaningful participation allows the situation to improve.

In Afghanistan, WILPF has been demanding that women occupy the front seats at the negotiating tables. The experience of the past 20 has shown that women’s presence produces more sustainable solutions when they are empowered and enabled to play a role.