By Ubaida Awudu
The People’s National Convention (PNC), says it is disheartening to see Civil Society Organisations, the Media and Political Parties that are responsible for protecting, promoting, and upholding the rights of women turn to mistreat and judge them without ”providing evidence or allowing the accused persons the opportunity to speak for themselves.
A statement signed by PNC’s General Secretary, Janet Asana Nabla, said the controversy surrounding Madam Dapaah’s stolen money has generated a lot of discussion.
Despite the claims that there are State Institutions in place to deal with situations of this sort, the PNC asserts that ”these institutions are polluted by believing rumours, which only serve to further alienate women from politics”.
According to the PNC, the State Institutions’ claim of fighting corruption only comes into full gear when women are involved.
This violates the Constitution, which mandates that all persons experience natural justice before passing judgement.
The statement added that Hon. Cecilia Dapaah is not the only woman in the country who has experienced unfair treatment while serving in politics; others who were equally unfairly treated were Victoria Hammah, Hon. Dzifa Attivor, Hon. Betty Mould Iddrisu, and the rest.
It further reiterated that workshops are organised in an effort to increase the participation of women in politics; the few who are already involved get pushed away when they are confronted with challenges.
The violation of the provision of the constitution that says we are all equal before the law and gender should not be a factor is what is happening in Cecilia Dapaah’s case.
The statement concluded by urging the government to allow the Constitution to effectively work by giving fair hearings to all persons.