Dr. Wemakor champions stronger protection for women with disabilities

<div class&equals;"qMYqUG&lowbar;convSearchResultHighlightRoot">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"relative w-full overflow-visible">&NewLine;<section class&equals;"text-token-text-primary w-full focus&colon;outline-none &lbrack;--shadow-height&colon;45px&rsqb; has-data-writing-block&colon;pointer-events-none has-data-writing-block&colon;-mt-&lpar;--shadow-height&rpar; has-data-writing-block&colon;pt-&lpar;--shadow-height&rpar; &lbrack;&amp&semi;&colon;has&lpar;&lbrack;data-writing-block&rsqb;&rpar;&gt&semi;&ast;&rsqb;&colon;pointer-events-auto &lbrack;content-visibility&colon;auto&rsqb; supports-&lbrack;content-visibility&colon;auto&rsqb;&colon;&lbrack;contain-intrinsic-size&colon;auto&lowbar;100lvh&rsqb; R6Vx5W&lowbar;threadScrollVars scroll-mb-&lbrack;calc&lpar;var&lpar;--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom&comma;0px&rpar;&plus;var&lpar;--thread-response-height&rpar;&rpar;&rsqb; scroll-mt-&lbrack;calc&lpar;var&lpar;--header-height&rpar;&plus;min&lpar;200px&comma;max&lpar;70px&comma;20svh&rpar;&rpar;&rpar;&rsqb;" dir&equals;"auto" data-turn-id&equals;"request-6a017948-8818-83ea-978f-f111d9613dcb-5" data-turn-id-container&equals;"request-6a017948-8818-83ea-978f-f111d9613dcb-5" data-testid&equals;"conversation-turn-22" data-scroll-anchor&equals;"false" data-turn&equals;"assistant">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 &lbrack;--thread-content-margin&colon;var&lpar;--thread-content-margin-xs&comma;calc&lpar;var&lpar;--spacing&rpar;&ast;4&rpar;&rpar;&rsqb; &commat;w-sm&sol;main&colon;&lbrack;--thread-content-margin&colon;var&lpar;--thread-content-margin-sm&comma;calc&lpar;var&lpar;--spacing&rpar;&ast;6&rpar;&rpar;&rsqb; &commat;w-lg&sol;main&colon;&lbrack;--thread-content-margin&colon;var&lpar;--thread-content-margin-lg&comma;calc&lpar;var&lpar;--spacing&rpar;&ast;16&rpar;&rpar;&rsqb; px-&lpar;--thread-content-margin&rpar;">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"&lbrack;--thread-content-max-width&colon;40rem&rsqb; &commat;w-lg&sol;main&colon;&lbrack;--thread-content-max-width&colon;48rem&rsqb; mx-auto max-w-&lpar;--thread-content-max-width&rpar; flex-1 group&sol;turn-messages focus-visible&colon;outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused&colon;focus-ring &lbrack;&period;text-message&plus;&amp&semi;&rsqb;&colon;mt-1" dir&equals;"auto" tabindex&equals;"0" data-message-author-role&equals;"assistant" data-message-id&equals;"786f98f3-d781-4fed-9483-e3f086140f59" data-message-model-slug&equals;"gpt-5-5" data-turn-start-message&equals;"true">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty&colon;hidden">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"markdown prose dark&colon;prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full light markdown-new-styling">&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"261" data-end&equals;"544">Executive Director of Human Rights Reporters Ghana &lpar;HRRG&rpar;&comma; Dr&period; Joseph Kobla Wemakor&comma; has pledged his organisation’s unwavering support for ongoing advocacy efforts aimed at advancing disability rights&comma; inclusion and the ratification of the African Disability Protocol &lpar;ADP&rpar; in Ghana&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"546" data-end&equals;"785">According to him&comma; protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities&comma; particularly women and girls&comma; must remain a national priority requiring collective action from government&comma; civil society&comma; the media and development partners&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"787" data-end&equals;"1099">Dr&period; Wemakor made the remarks while delivering a solidarity message during an Inception and Stakeholder Engagement Workshop organised by the Women with Disability Development and Advocacy Organization &lpar;WODAO&rpar; in partnership with the Network of Women with Disabilities Africa &lpar;NEWDA&rpar; at the Tomreik Hotel in Accra&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1101" data-end&equals;"1523">The workshop&comma; held under the project titled &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Strengthening the Women with Disabilities Movement and Advancing the Ratification of the African Disability Protocol in Ghana&comma;” brought together parliamentarians&comma; disability rights advocates&comma; journalists&comma; civil society organisations&comma; development partners and government representatives to deliberate on strategies for promoting disability inclusion and policy reforms in Ghana&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1525" data-end&equals;"1802">Addressing participants&comma; Dr&period; Wemakor commended WODAO and NEWDA for spearheading what he described as a bold&comma; timely and transformative initiative geared toward strengthening the voices&comma; leadership and participation of women with disabilities within Ghana’s development process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"1804" data-end&equals;"2066">He stressed that women and girls with disabilities continue to face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination&comma; exclusion and marginalisation that undermine their access to education&comma; employment&comma; healthcare&comma; leadership opportunities and social protection&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2068" data-end&equals;"2296">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The media has a critical responsibility to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities and ensure that issues affecting them remain visible within national conversations&comma; governance processes and policy reforms&comma;” he stated&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2298" data-end&equals;"2528">Dr&period; Wemakor reaffirmed HRRG’s commitment to partnering with disability-focused organisations and stakeholders to promote advocacy&comma; awareness creation&comma; inclusive governance and human rights protection for persons with disabilities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2530" data-end&equals;"2737">According to him&comma; Ghana’s ratification of the African Disability Protocol would represent a significant milestone in strengthening the country’s legal and policy framework on disability rights and inclusion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2739" data-end&equals;"2935">He explained that the protocol would further reinforce protections for women and girls with disabilities who often face heightened vulnerability to discrimination&comma; poverty&comma; violence and exclusion&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"2937" data-end&equals;"3166">Dr&period; Wemakor further called on Parliament&comma; government institutions&comma; civil society organisations&comma; journalists&comma; development partners and the wider public to support efforts toward the ratification and implementation of the protocol&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"3168" data-end&equals;"3402">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Building an inclusive society requires intentional action&comma; stronger collaboration and sustained advocacy to ensure that persons with disabilities are empowered to participate fully and meaningfully in national development&comma;” he added&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"3404" data-end&equals;"3538">The workshop also witnessed renewed calls from stakeholders for Ghana to expedite the ratification of the African Disability Protocol&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"3540" data-end&equals;"3702">Convener of NEWDA&comma; Prof&period; Augustina Naami&comma; underscored the urgent need for stronger protections and inclusive policies targeting women and girls with disabilities&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"3704" data-end&equals;"3921">She observed that despite existing legal frameworks such as the Persons with Disabilities Act&comma; 2006 &lpar;Act 715&rpar;&comma; women with disabilities continue to experience exclusion&comma; unemployment&comma; poverty and gender-based violence&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"3923" data-end&equals;"4063">&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Our vision is to create an inclusive society where women with disabilities thrive with equality&comma; dignity and full participation&comma;” she said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"4065" data-end&equals;"4284">Representing the Parliamentary Caucus on Persons with Disabilities&comma; Member of Parliament for Suhum&comma; Hon&period; Frank Asiedu Bekoe&comma; reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to supporting disability-inclusive legislation and reforms&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"4286" data-end&equals;"4519">Programme Manager at Sightsavers Ghana&comma; Mohammed Abdul-Razak&comma; also expressed concern over Ghana’s delay in ratifying the protocol despite the country’s strong reputation in championing disability inclusion and human rights in Africa&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"4521" data-end&equals;"4746">Meanwhile&comma; Executive Director of WODAO and Project Lead&comma; Veronica Denyo Kofiedu&comma; explained that the initiative forms part of a broader advocacy campaign funded by ADD International under the Disability Justice Fund for Women&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"4748" data-end&equals;"4978">She noted that the project seeks to strengthen the women with disabilities movement&comma; amplify their voices and build strategic partnerships capable of influencing national policies and advancing disability rights advocacy in Ghana&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p data-start&equals;"4980" data-end&equals;"5194" data-is-last-node&equals;"" data-is-only-node&equals;"">The workshop ended with renewed commitments from stakeholders to intensify advocacy&comma; deepen collaboration and sustain momentum toward the ratification and implementation of the African Disability Protocol in Ghana&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"z-0 flex min-h-&lbrack;46px&rsqb; justify-start"><&sol;div>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mt-3 w-full empty&colon;hidden">&NewLine;<div class&equals;"text-center"><&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;section>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"contents"><&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<&sol;div>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"pointer-events-none -mt-px h-px translate-y-&lbrack;calc&lpar;var&lpar;--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom&rpar;-14&ast;var&lpar;--spacing&rpar;&rpar;&rsqb;" aria-hidden&equals;"true"><&sol;div>&NewLine;

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