While millions of women all over the country nursed interest over the years to celebrate March 8, annually, some find no interest and simply ignore it for one reason or the other.
In Douala, such women were seen carrying out their business and other activities normally. Seeking to know why they were not on the celebration train, one said «To me celebrating women’s day is completely useless because Cameroonian women suffer a lot. Today they play the role of head of the family. Work money to feed the family. They do everything. Vendors like me find difficulties in generating income because of economic hardship. Everything is expensive and customers rarely come to buy ».
To another woman, the government’s silence on the high rate of femicide in the country does not motivate her to celebrate. « I remember the little girl kidnapped, raped, and killed in Yaoundé recently. My elder sister was raped in Yassa and her body was decapitated. The government has done nothing to render justice. Why should I go celebrating
Women’s Day? »
Discrimination or gender inequality hurts others and they blame the government for not doing anything to treat men and women equally.
« There are women who can do more of what a man does but they are given inferior positions or even sent to the kitchen. Women are marginalized whereas they are the backbone of society. » A lady points this as her reason for not having an interest in any form of women’s day celebration.
Despite the aforementioned reasons and others not evoked, the majority of Cameroonian women celebrate happily as if all is well.
Women who snubbed Women’s Day told CNA that they can join their fellow women if they stand to protest against femicides, rapes, gender-based violence, inequality, discrimination, the current economic hardship, and so on.
Source: Cameroon News Agency
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Bill 2023 will include dimensions that capture the interest of the youth.
The move is to enrich the Bill, make it more relevant and ensure smooth implementation, when passed.
Dr Godfred Seidu Jasaw, the Deputy Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food, Agriculture and Cocoa Affairs, said this at a public consultation organised by Alliance for Green Revolution Africa (AGRA) in Accra.
The event sought to assist in the content revision and to propose specific amendments that will address needs of youth, and vulnerable groups, including People living with Disabilities around climate adaptation and use of climate change funds that will be established as a provision of the Bill when enacted.
It also served as a platform to create awareness, engagement, and climate literacy among young people.
Dr Jasaw said the timing of the amendment to the Bill was right because, ‘it is currently at the second consideration stage and open for input to make it solid.
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He noted that the Bill was seeking to elevate the Environmental Protection Agency as an Authority to be empowered to regulate, protect, and exercise general oversight and co-ordination over all matters relating to the environment and climate change.
He said the Bill, when passed, would consolidate the various dispersed Environmental Acts; the Environmental Protection Act, 1994 (490), the Pesticides Control and Management Act, 1996 (Act 528) and the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control and Management Act (917) under one Act.
The Bill under review was enacted twenty-nine years ago to regulate matters that affect the environment and to coordinate the activities of bodies that deal with the practical and technical aspects of the environment.
Mr Assan Ng’ombe, the Head of Resilience at AGRA, said Ghana had a large youthful population of which 73.7 per cent of them were below the age of 35 years.
‘However, youth participation in public and private processes remains low. For example, less than two per cent
of the 275 Members Parliament fall in the 21-35 age range,’ he noted.
The situation, Mr Ng’ombe said had, created gaps in national laws and programmes in effectively responding to the needs of the youth.
He said Ghana just like other global south countries was vulnerable to rising sea levels, droughts, increasing temperatures and erratic rainfall which adversely impacted infrastructure, hydropower production, food security and coastal and agricultural livelihoods.
Mr Ng’ombe noted that the youth had a role to play in helping the implementation of the country’s climate adaptation and mitigation measures hence the need for their inclusion.
Source: Ghana News Agency
