Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings has chided parliamentarians for showing little interest in women activities in the country. She is appalled by the failure of Parliament to pass the Affirmative Action Bill sent to the House since 1996. The bill seeks to further empower women in the country. According to her, the Rawlings administration proposed as part of the draft bill, 30 per cent of positions to be allotted to women in all state institutions, but unfortunately the bill has been 'gathering dust' in the House of Parliament. Mrs Rawlings could not hide her disgust over the delay in the passage of the bill, and questioned the commitment of some gender activists who have been agitating for the passage of the domestic violence bill. In an interview with Citi News on Wednesday, Mrs Rawlings said it is absolutely unacceptable for that important document to be relegated to the background. After the ground breaking Beijing Conference to chart a course for women, the former First Lady cited smaller conferences held in Ghana to advance the course of women. These, she said, have served little purpose in the area of women empowerment. She therefore called on all political parties to incorporate gender issues in their activities in order to ensure that the interests of women are served. A well educated women base, she noted, will reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy in the country. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com