Madam Lena Alai, Volta Regional Director of Department of Women, on Thursday cautioned young women against patronizing beauty pageant events.

She said such programmes were subtle forms of exploiting feminine beauty.

Madam Alai was addressing a forum organised by her outfit at Agotime Senior High School (AGOSEC) to mark the Region’s International Women’s Day celebration.

She advised female students to be wary of believing that beauty was the only means of propelling them onto “higher horizons.”

“You are highly talented as females and society is waiting for you to unleash these talents in various fields for the transformation of communities,” Madam Alai said.

She noted that, much remained to be done for women despite modest improvements and achievements in attitudinal change concerning gender equality and discrimination.

“In the area of employment, majority of women in the Region are found in the informal sector and are self employed as traders. However, the market centres in the region lack adequate stalls, exposing women and their wares to the vagaries of the weather, when they mostly contribute to tax mobilization for the assemblies,” Madam Alai stated.

Madam Augusta Okantey, Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Statistical Service, underscored the importance of girl-child education to national development.

She said, “Education of the girl is not a waste; Education of a woman improves family life,” and urged men to honour women.

Madam Justine Kugbeadzor, a Representative of the Girl Child Unit, Ghana Education Service, said most barriers to the education of girls were in schools and homes.

She therefore challenged teachers and parents to “remove man-made barriers” to encourage girls to go to school and aspire to higher academic laurels.

International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 08, every year. This year’s celebration is on the theme, “The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges.”

Ghana is commemorating the event on the theme, “Connecting girls, inspiring futures; reducing rural poverty.”**