Koforidua (Eastern Region), 20 Nov 1998 - Ms Patience Adow, Eastern Regional Minister, has stressed the need for policy makers and employers to ensure gender balance in employment, promotions and enrolment in educational institutions.

She cautioned women not to exploit their femininity to gain undeserved advantage of favours and privileges.

Ms Adow made the call in a speech read for her at a two-day workshop organised by the Koforidua branch of the Christian Mothers Association, a Catholic society, at Koforidua.

It was sponsored by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation of Germany on the theme: ''Women, civic education and development.''

Topics treated included ''rights and responsibilities of women in the 1992 constitution'', ''CHRAJ and the promotion of women's rights'', and ''the role of the NCWD as an advocate on women issues''.

Ms Adow asked Christian Mothers to ensure that every child, irrespective of gender, received equal educational opportunities to their fullest potential so that the next generation of women would not suffer any form of discrimination.

She asked women's groups to sensitise and create awareness among their members about the prevailing negative traditional norms against women, particularly female subjugation, that militate against their development.

''We must begin to question the legal, moral, cultural or Biblical basis for such practices as 'Trokosi,' widowhood rites and female genital mutilation among other traditions''.

Miss Ophelia Korkoryi of the NCCE urged women qualified for posts to apply for them at their workplaces and seek elective offices.

She asked women who qualify to collect the Value Added Tax (VAT) to register to make their call for gender equality meaningful.

The regional director of CHRAJ, Mr S. Okpoti-Mensah, regretted that most of the injustices and degrading treatment against women are perpetrated by their fellow women.

He called on women's groups to support the CHRAJ in its efforts to rid the nation of all discriminating and degrading treatments against women and promote their full enjoyment of the rights and freedoms enshrined in the constitution.