By Christopher Asiedu
The Global Community has been celebrating World Population Day since 1989 to raise awareness of the impact of population growth and its effects on human development and the environment. It is an opportunity for the world to look at ways to address the inherent challenges pursuant to the promotion of gender equality, family planning, maternal health, human rights, and reproductive health in general, as well as the elimination of poverty and other development challenges.
Over the years, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), has been partnering with governments and civil society groups around the globe, to drum home the need to integrate reproductive health issues into the overall growth and development schemes of the world’s population. This year, the International Community is focusing on ways to tap the power of gender equality, uplift the voices of women and girls to make an impact, and explore the limitless possibilities of the world. Ghana has, however, adopted a local theme, “Unleashing the power of gender equality to spur national development, ” to mark the occasion. The country is simultaneously launching the 2023 State of the World Population Report on July 11.
The report, on the other hand, calls for a review of the concept of population growth and size to concentrate more on the opportunities associated with an increase in population. It is estimated that women and girls make up 49.7 percent of the World’s eight billion population. However, their needs and desires are not catered for in discussions about demographic and population issues. Apart from sidestepping their needs, their rights are often violated.
This pervasive injustice keeps women and girls out of school, out of the workforce, and out of leadership positions or roles. Consequently, these limit their assertiveness and ability to make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and general health and welfare issues, thereby heightening their vulnerability to violence, harmful practices and preventable maternal deaths. It is also estimated that more than 40 percent of women around the globe cannot make decisions about their sexual and reproductive health rights.
Globally, every two minutes, a woman dies due to pregnancy or childbirth. This is worse in conflict settings, where the number of deaths is higher. Moreover, nearly one-third of women worldwide have experienced partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both. Furthermore, more than two-thirds of the world’s 800 million people who cannot read or write are women and just six countries across the globe have 50 percent or more women in Parliament. These maltreatments and undesirable occurrences are attributable to gender inequality. An onerous responsibility, therefore, lies on all parties in the human development and growth equation to address gender inequality as a necessary condition for unleashing the immeasurable potential of the world. This will surely dovetail into the unfinished business of the 1994 Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, which sought to empower women.
This year’s Population Day is to advance gender equality, create a more just, resilient, and sustainable world of limitless possibilities, and raise awareness that gender inequality is harmful and violates the rights and choices of women and girls in human development. Investing in gender equality today is an investment in our future. Therefore, Ghana has declared July as “Population Awareness Month,” with media activities and stakeholder engagements, to raise awareness on population issues and the critical role of gender equality in national development.
Promotion and investment in women and girls issues are yet to be fully achieved, though there are improvements in some areas. Has the creation of the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, for instance, lived up to expectations as the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit? Is it time to pass the bill on “Affirmative Action” to promote women’s empowerment? There are numerous cultural practices that perpetuate gender inequality and work against women’s empowerment. As we roll up our sleeves to join other partners in Ghana to launch the 2023 State of the World’s Population Report and commemorate World Population Day, we must strive to help sustain the gains made by the country in creating an enabling environment for women and girls to freely exercise their rights and choices while creating the needed opportunities for young people to realise their potential.
The iconic freedom fighter and former President of South Africa, the late Nelson Mandela, said: “Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all kinds of oppression.” From President Mandela’s perspective, it is incumbent on all of us to always promote and defend “gender equality,” in order to create a more progressive society for the benefit of all.