The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on women to avail themselves to leadership positions in the Union and public service.

Mrs Alberta Laryea-Djan, Head of International Department of the TUC, said it was sad that most women do not avail themselves to top positions in trade unions and other groupings.

Speaking at a Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union (MDU) of TUC’s National Women’s Committee Meeting, Mrs Laryea-Djan urged women to vie for positions to enable them make meaningful contributions to the running of their organizations.

The meeting was also used to launch the International Day for the elimination of violence against women, which is observed globally from November 25 to December 10, annually.

She called on the public to give the needed support to women who avail themselves to leadership positions both corporately and politically instead of thwarting their efforts and calling them names.

She urged the women not to be discouraged because of name calling but should rather see such setbacks as an opportunity to move on and prove their capabilities.

Mrs Laryea-Djan also implored women in leadership to share information with their counterparts as well as mentor young women.

Madam Alfreda Kobiaba Ogoe, Chairperson of the National Women’s Committee of the MDU, said union leaders were required by their roles to be advocates for people who suffer gender-based violence.

Madam Ogoe said the only way to stop violence against women was to speak against it as “our silence encourages perpetrators to continue violating the rights of women. It is for us to speak out and demand justice for victims of gender-based violence”.

She called for multiple interventions and a holistic national strategy to provide lasting solutions to such violence.

Mr Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, General Secretary of the MDU, said his outfit was committed to the empowerment of women activists to play a leading role in the development of the union into an organization which protects the rights of maritime employees.

Commenting on the violence against women, Mr Owusu-Koranteng said despite the contributions of women to the development of society, they were subjected to all kinds of emotional and physical abuses some of which went beyond description.

He said the low social and economic status of women throughout their life cycle was a manifestation of the historically unequal power relations between men and women.

“This power inequality is perpetuated by traditional and customary practices that accord women lower status in the family, workplace, community and society and it is worsened by social pressures”, he said.