Women must stand up and be counted- Abigail Elorm Akwambea Mensah

2016 parliamentary candidate for National Democratic Congress for the Fanteakwa South Constituency, Abigail Elorm Akwambea Mensah says women must stand up and be counted.

In a social media post on ‘International Women’s Day’ , she said that It is sad that women could not make progress on the 2016 world Economic Forum rate of progress to gender equality.
In 2016, the forum estimated an 83 year gap only for women to add 17 years in 2017, making it 100 years.

“I couldn’t agree more with this years theme #pressforprogress” She said.

Below is the full post .
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY!!!
#PressforProgress

It is sad that as women we could not make progress on the 2016 world Economic Forum rate of progress to gender equality. In 2016, the forum estimated an 83 year gap only for us to add 17 years in 2017, making it 100 years. I couldn’t agree more with this years theme #pressforprogress.

In 1909, when the Socialist Party in America organized the International Women’s day event, and later pushed for a day to be set aside to celebrate women at the Copehangen Women’s Conference in 1910; they did so with the aim that celebrating other women who have excelled and made so much progress in their lives and the world around them will motivate and encourage other women to also fight hard and #pushforprogress.

However, 100 years on, what do we see? Women have become envious of the progress of other women, women cause the downfall of other women. We have women who have specialized in discouraging other fellow women from reaching higher heights. I couldn’t agree more with Madeline Albright (First Female US Secretary of State) that, there was a special place in hell designed for such women who do not help other women but rather help destroy or pull them down.

Women must stand up and be counted. You must not let anyone tell you “you’re weak” because you are a woman. As beautifully put out by Mary Kom the Olympics boxer. We must encourage each other and fight together to #pushforprogress rather than fight each other.

How come there are men, in fact, brave men ready to go the long haul with us but women are seen pulling us back? Being a feminist is not about being a man or woman but as said by Rebecca West, feminism is “anything or sentiment that differentiate us from doormats”. There are men who see us beyound doormats and women who see other women as doormats, those are the ones that have a special place in hell.

So as we celebrate Women’s today, as a woman don’t raise your voice just to shout Feminism and gender equality but as Malala Yousafzai, the Parkistani activist puts it, raise your voice as a woman so that those without voice too can be heard. Because we can only succeed in this fight and #pushforprogress when all of us are heard and seen together in this fight not when some are held back.

I believe it is only when we come together as women and pull each other along in this fight that we can say we are pushing for progress as the theme for Today’s International Women’s day says.

Spread love everywhere you go, let no woman come to you and leave burdened or unhappier than she came to you. That is the only time you can proudly say with Angela Maya together that you are a phenomenal woman, a woman who does not have a special place in hell because you became the voice of a voiceless woman and sought the good interest of other women and #pushforprogress until that day when the woman across the world is seen as a partner in this development process of our countries and the world at large.

Till that day, let’s #PushforProgress.

Happy International Women’s day to all the wonderful and beautiful women in Ghana and across the world.

Abigail Elorm Akwambea Mensah