Members of the Students' Parliamentary Council of University of Cape Coast (UCC) have used mock parliamentary proceedings to highlight the importance of menstrual care and raise awareness of issues faced by girls and women during menstruation.
According to them, the increase in the price of sanitary pads was making it unaffordable for women and girls in low-income homes and deprived communities in the country to access clean and affordable menstrual products.
The Student-Parliamentarians made the statements on the floor of the House as part of activities marking the 30th anniversary celebration of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy in Ghana on the theme, “30 years of parliamentary democracy under the 4th Republic: The journey thus far.”
As part of the events, Parliament of Ghana organised public fora in the southern zones - Takoradi, Cape Coast, and Koforidua, to commemorate the anniversary.
The Speaker of the UCC Students' Parliament, the Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Osei-Wusu
The Graduate Students' Association of Ghana (GRASAG) Senate Representative, Hon. Araba Korsah, reading a statement on the floor of the House, appealed to government to implement a policy that would remove taxes on imported sanitary pads.
According to her, sanitary pads should be distributed to young girls at no cost or at the very least, sold at a reasonable price because they were essential to the health and civility of women and girls. She stressed that Scotland had become the first country in the world to make sanitary products free for all and that had been in effect since August, 2022. She, therefore, backed the calls by civil society organizations to government to scrap the 20 percent tax on sanitary pads.
During the mock parliamentary debate, the Member of Parliament for Science Central Constituency-UCC, Hon. Jonas Awaliga, bemoaned the case of sanitary pads being expensive for a “natural phenomenon” as opposed to other products which could be purchased by choice.
GRASAG Senate Representative, Hon. Araba Korsah, reading a statement on the floor of the House
He also called on government and its affiliate organisations to come up with well-structured programmes and policies that would support corporate institutions and private individuals with innovative ways of producing low-cost, biodegradable and reusable sanitary products to ease the financial burden menstruating women faced.
The MP for Ayensu Constituency-UCC, Hon. Camara Musah, in his view, emphasised the need to make sanitary products not just accessible but also affordable. He said this would particularly help women and adolescent girls in rural dwellings and protect their education.
The House presided over by the ‘Speaker’, Rt. Hon. Edmund Osei-Wusu, deliberated on issues including the need for children with childhood cancers to be treated under the National Health Insurance Scheme.
Call to Protect Ghana’s Peace
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Andrew Asiama Amoako
Speaking after proceedings of the mock Parliament, the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Hon. Andrew Asiama Amoako, noted that Ghana's current stability did not make the country immune to political violence and called on Ghanaians to jealously protect the peace in the country.
Mr. Amoako, who is also the Member of Parliament for Fomena, called on religious leaders to pray fervently for the leadership of the country and implored Ghanaians to guard against acts that posed a threat to the democratic stability the country is currently enjoying.
The Second Deputy Speaker congratulated the framers of the Fourth Republican Constitution, saying it had been useful for building a better and peaceful Ghana.
Other Members of Parliament (MPS), including the MPs for Cape Coast North and South, Kwamena Mintah Nyarku and Kweku Ricketts Hagan, repectively took turns to thank Ghanaians for safeguarding the country's nascent democracy and asked that it should not be compromised.
The MP for Awutu Senya West, Gizelle Tetteh-Agbotui, underlined the need for more participation of women in the public discourse.
A section of dignitaries at the event
The honourable Central Regional Minister, Mrs. Justina Marigold Assan, commended Parliament for the many bills passed and others repealed since its inception 30 years ago.
The Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Eugene Marfo Darteh, pledged his commitment to ensure the Students' Parliamentary Council's growth and sustainability, as well as the realisation of its potential. He said the Students' Parliamentary Council had been added to the constitution of the SRC as a legal institution in the University.
"Now the Students' Parliamentary Council exists legally and will be allocated budget to finance its activities" he added.
The forum was attended by religious and traditional leaders, civil society groups, workers’ unions’ representatives, security agencies and students.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC