A national movement that advocates gender parity, Side-by-Side (SBS), was launched in Accra yesterday, with a call on religious bodies to help promote gender justice within faith cycles of society.
The global initiative also aims at creating an enabling environment for gender justice at various levels.
Launching the movement, the General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Reverend (Rev) Dr Cyril G.K Fayose, said the council identifies with the movement’s transformational change.
He revealed that, the movement, initiated four years ago, had seen tremendous growth across the Southern, Eastern and West Africa, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean.
“What is intriguing about the growth is not about the numbers, but the knowledge that faith leaders were increasingly recognising the power in their voice, and are channelling it into addressing societal issues,” Rev. Dr Fayose said.
He bemoaned situations where some institutions mistreated and manhandled people of certain genders under the disguise of their faith inclination.
Rev. Dr Fayose said the relevance of the church to society would cease, if society considers faith establishments as a problem rather than solution to problems.
He said faith leaders ought to have the opportunity to make their stance on gender injustice, through SBS and let the public know that “no faith in its proper doctrine and interpretation support acts that limit women and children in attaining their fullest potential.”
Rev. Dr Fayose indicated that his outfit would continue to say no to structures that bred gender injustice.
According to the Country Manager of Christian Aid, Mr Ernest Okyere, faith institutions, faith leaders and communities had the tendency to collectively contribute to actions that sought to correct various forms of social, political and economic injustices along the lines of gender.
He said his outfit was ready to collaborate with other institutions to tackle gender inequality.
Touching on the objectives of SBS, he said the movement sought to create awareness on gender parity among faith leaders, and also change the damaging social norms perpetuated on the premise of faith amongst others.
By Raissa Sambou
