SANCTION KENNEDY AGYAPONG NOW

Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors is essential to building stronger economies, the achieving of the internationally agreed goals for development and sustainability, and to improving the quality of life for women, men, families and communities.

Key women empowerment principles include:
- Treating all women and men fairly at work
- Respect and support for their human rights.
- non-discrimination against women
- the promoting education, training and professional development for women. The inclusion of women and gender equality issues must be an integral part of any political system and more especially in less developed countries.
Women who through hard work are in high positions in public live must be protected, celebrated and showcased as role models to inspire young and upcoming women. We must collectively actively implement some of this principles as they are key to overcoming traditions, believes and cultural practices that have over the years served as barriers to women empowerment.

Mr Kennedy Agyapong, a member of Ghana's parliament has gained notoriety for abusing women especially those in public life. Kennedy Agyapong is on record to have described a woman Journalist in Ghana - known in public life as Afia Schwarzenegger as "worse than an animal", He said - "that lady is too ugly and because of her investors are not willing to come to Ghana and invest in Ghana. I think the gov't or whoever gave birth to her should just give her away to scientist so that they can use her in place of animals for laboratory researchers". He further labelled her a prostitute who wet bed plus other unprintable words.

As if that is not enough, he has degraded, publicly insulted, disrespected and on a mission to push back all the gains and efforts gender activists, the UN and women globally have made and continue to make to bridge the discrimination gap. The calls for equal and fair treatment of women will be greatly undermined if actions are not taken against Kennedy Agyapong who is an elected member of Ghana's parliament and is with the tax payers money.
As if his attack on the woman journalist is not enough, he recently launched and attack on arguably the most 3rd most most important woman in public life in Ghana describing Mrs Charlotte Osei, the Chairperson of the Ghana Electoral Commission as a prostitute who only got appointed into office not on merit but only after offering sexual favours to the appointing authorities.

We cannot have a member of parliament in Ghana who instead of championing the cause for equal and fair treatment of women to be championing everything that is wrong against women in public life. Should Kennedy Agyapong be left to go free, unchecked, unpunished and should he not be condemned for his conduct, it will serve as an inspiration and a reference point for disrespecting women and negating all that has been achieved over the years against discrimination and the unfair treatment of women not only in Ghana but globally and will deter women who we desperately need from venturing into public life to serve Ghana.