Accra, Sept. 21, GNA - Professor Mike Ocquaye, Minister of Communications, on Thursday said the issue of affirmative action should seriously be pursued until all discrimination against women were done away with and social justice, achieved.

He said to achieve such justice the laws of the land must be used to correct human rights abuses and discrimination against women as they played significant roles in the home, church and society in general. Speaking at women's growth and sustainability workshop in Accra, Prof Ocquaye said the promotion of women's rights should not be seen as challenging or fighting men but rather should be acknowledged as empowering women to regain their social status which had eluded them for a long time due to neglect and discrimination.

He noted that there were enough existing laws that protected women's rights to ensure that they took their rightful places in society so women groups should educate women on their rights so that they could demand for and guard such rights.

Various women groups, including the Christian Mothers Association, attended the workshop organised by the Network of Women in Growth (NEWIG), a non-governmental organization. The workshop also coincided with the graduation ceremony of some young women, who were trained under a five-month course in entrepreneurial skills by NEWIG.

Mrs Margaret Danquah Twum, a lawyer with International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), who gave a presentation on "Women's Rights", said women had every right under Ghana's Constitution and also under many other international conventions signed by the State so it now depended on women to press forward for such rights. "The fight for women empowerment depends on women themselves; women therefore need to step up, discover and guard their rights", she advised.

Dr Dzodzi Tsikata, Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon and member of the Steering Committee of the Network for Women's Right (NETRIGHT), who spoke on "Women's Empowerment-Any Progress?" said there had been some progress in that direction since much public awareness had been created in the media on the need to empower women. She, however, said women still faced lot of challenges at home and in political life since the very few bold ones who ventured into politics lacked the needed resources as well as support from their spouses and relatives.

Dr Tsikata said women also had the challenge of doing so many house chores which tended to take lot of their time without the help of their spouses and, therefore, called for policies that would force men who did not assist their wives at home to do so.

She also urged the Government to do more to address issues that affected women's health and violence against women. Mrs Mawusi Nudekor Awity, Executive Director of NEWIG, said the self-financing organisation set up three years ago had trained more than 3,000 women and men in various skills in some parts of the country. She appealed for financial support from individuals, donors and the Ministry of Manpower Development, Youth and Employment to enable the organization to continue with its entrepreneurial programme, otherwise "we will not be able to continue with the training next year". Alhaji Boniface Abubakar Saddique, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, stressed the important role women played in society and advised them to stay focused and to continue with their good roles in society.

He advised the graduates to take advantage of the many financial funds available in the country to expand their businesses and trade. 21 Sept, 06