FFPJ holds seminar on gender equity

Daily Graphic (Pg11), Tues, May 18/10

Story Rebecca Quaicoe-Duho
THE Foundation for Female Photojournalists (FFPJ) has organised a seminar on promoting gender equity for students of the African University College of Communication (AUCC) as part of their Student Representative Council (SRC) week celebrations in Accra.
The seminar was aimed at sensitising the youth to be concerned with the underlying causes of gender inequities in the society in order to achieve positive change for women.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Ms Mardey Ohui Ofoe, said promoting gender equity, equality and women’s empowerment was a step to attain greater economic prosperity for the development of the country.
Speaking on the theme ‘The Politics of Gender, Women's Rights and Democracy', she said in most countries, women continued to play stereotype roles that relegated them to the background and affected their ability to rise to the top, both in academic, economic and social spheres.
Ms Ofoe called on the students to support efforts aimed at dealing with prejudices and discrimination against women, to bring about qualitative improvement in the lives of both men and women.
According to her, the needs of women and men varied, depending on their age, ethnicity, disability, income levels, employment status, marital status, as well as other socio-cultural factors.
She said different strategies may be necessary to achieve equitable outcomes for women and men and different groups in the society, considering their various needs, capacities and responsibilities.
The SRC President of the AUCC, Nana Glover, in his welcoming address, underscored the need for students to have access to information, saying that was an essential tool for their professional development and the development of the country.
In a related development, the FFPJ also organised a similar programme at the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) as part of its Women’s Week celebration.

• Pix 1: Ms Mardey Ohui Ofoe addressing the students during the seminar.