Koforidua, Jan. 13, GNA - The Eastern Regional Director of the Department of Women, Ms Jane Kwapong, has encouraged women to be inspired by the election of Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, as Speaker of Parliament, and utilize education as their main weapon towards emancipation.

She said the success of Speaker Bamford-Addo and the recent investiture of Professor Jane Opoku Agyeman as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, as well as, the elevation of Mrs Justice Georgina Wood to Chief Justice, were evident that women could get to the top if they pursued higher and quality education. "One attribute common to all women is that they pursued education beyond the first degree level and continued to sharpen their skills and exhibited so much competence for, which they could no longer be ignored for their admirable contributions to the common wealth," she told the Ghana News Agency in an interview on Tuesday. On the status of women in Ghana, and their goals under the current democratic dispensation, Ms Kwapong stressed that it was becoming clear that education remained the major caveat to women's emancipation and progress.

The days when women were given token jobs or tokenized based on their population size rather than on their competence was fast fading, she noted, and advised young women to show dedication and devotion to higher education to also excel in their careers.

Miss Kwapong, however, observed that breaking political and

cultural barriers would not automatically grant women autonomy as some segment of society remained highly ignorant. Using the 'Domestic Violence Act' to buttress her assertion, Ms Kwapong said despite its passage, many women still suffered abuses because of ignorance, and called for a concerted investment in women literacy projects.

Similarly, she said, breast cancer continued to claim the lives of many women as many victims patronised prayer camps instead of hospitals. Miss Kwapong called for more educational programmes, especially in deprived areas, to save victims of breast cancer and domestic violence. 13 Jan. O9