Concerned Women Protest Kennedy Agyapong’s Sexist Comments against EC

Accra, Ghana: On Tuesday, 12th July, 2016 over two thousand (2000) women in Accra will
be marching in protest of Kennedy Agyapong’s derogatory and disrespectful comments
against the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of the Republic of Ghana, Ms Charlotte
Osei.
The Member of Parliament for Assin Central insinuated that Ms Osei obtained her
position as Chairperson through trading sexual favours and not on merit.
This comment is totally despicable and an insult to women of Ghana. Under no circumstance should such a reprehensible conduct be condoned in our country.
Considering the decades of hard work and resources Ghana has invested in ensuring
gender equality and women empowerment; using girl-child education and various affirmative
action measures to ensure that women and girls are given the opportunity to contribute to
national governance and development, we find such comments repulsive and deliberately
calculated to devalue the competencies, capabilities and hard work of women.
Ultimately, such comments seek to discourage women in general from taking up positions in high public office.
To register our utmost disdain for such an attack, women from all walk will be joining the
march, including female Ministers of State and Deputy Ministers, Female Parliamentarians,
female heads of public organizations, female heads of institutions in general, female
traditional leaders, women from the civil society fraternity, female student groups, women in the informal sector, religious groups, and discerning Ghanaians. We will be stepping out to demonstrate our displeasure and disapproval of such an offensive, demeaning and chauvinistic comment.
Additionally, a petition will be served to the Speaker of Parliament requesting that
disciplinary action be taken against the unremorseful Member of Parliament as an indication
that Parliament shall not tolerate such disrespectful conducts from its members and that
members of such a noble office are expected to conduct themselves in an honourable
manner.
This march will be led by the Concerned Women of Ghana; a coalition of women’s
groups with the objective of advocating for the rights and welfare of women.
The peaceful march will begin at 8am on Tuesday, 12th July, 2016 from the Accra Sports
Stadium through DOVVSU Traffic Light, Registrar General, Kimbu Gardens, Novotel Hotel,
CHRAJ, NLA, Flagstaff Square and back to the Sports Stadium where a petition will be
presented to the Speaker of Parliament.