Growing verbal attacks against women in public office particularly against the head of the Electoral Commission, Charlotte Osei, the Chief Justice, her ladyship Georgina Theodora Wood, and her lordship Sophia Akuffo, signals a society that seeks to resort to intimidation to stifle female leaders in public office from the effective execution of their duties, says FIDA.

FIDA considers such recent scathing attacks as discriminatory, reprehensible and contrary to the spirit and letter of the constitution.

The increasing verbal abuse and threat of reprisal to sexual harassment, and rape are targeted at women because they are women, thus such violence is gendered in its form.

These abuses stands against the very tenets of human rights principles enshrined in International human rights treaties that Ghana is signatory to.

A society that respects and upholds the rule of law, ensures that perpetrators of such violent actions are punished to send a strong signal that such impunity will not be condoned, to protect the sanctity of the judiciary and finally to assure women in this nation that their right to safety and life will not be compromised in the pursuit of their work.

The law must and should be allowed to work in a burgeoning democracy such as ours, as the dignity and respect of every individual especially women is inviolable and no country should compromise on the protection of its citizens.

As much as FIDA Ghana does not condone mediocrity, we believe women in leadership can be objectively criticized instead of receiving threatening, denigrating and malicious abuses.

Ghanaian women despite their various stations in life have a right to be protected from such acerbic attacks.

Women in many professions have proved their mettle and expertise and indeed have achieved important milestones. 

These milestones highlight their progress in our public and private sector leadership. As an organization that advocates for increases in women’s participation in decision making due to the unequal representation of women in public offices, FIDA Ghana deems it a slap in the face, and an attempt to reverse the gains that FIDA and other women’s rights organizations have worked so hard to achieve.

Such violent attacks have far reaching consequences. It tends to demoralize both budding female politicians and seasoned female leaders from participating in public office.

It further denies women of their civil and political rights and discourages women from exercising their voice and agency, thus creating a democratic deficit.

Perhaps it is time to call for a national dialogue to interrogate such actions and raise awareness of violence against women in public offices, which is slowly becoming a norm of our politicking.

Democracy allows the views and voices of various groups in society to be heard, at the same time it provides a check and limits the infringement of the rights of women.

Since women’s rights are human rights, FIDA Ghana believes Ghana’s democracy must provide the soil in which women’s human rights must grow and blossom.