Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has urged the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to consider gender differences in future recruitment exercises following the tragic deaths of six young women at El-Wak Stadium.
During a visit to victims of the stampede on Thursday, November 14, the Minister emphasized that the incident underscores the need for security institutions to adopt a more gender-sensitive approach in their operations.
“I told senior female officers that even today, despite growing awareness of gender issues, challenges remain in recruitment and employment processes,” she stated.
Madam Lartey encouraged the military to learn from the tragedy and make necessary adjustments to protect applicants, particularly women, in future recruitment drives. “I urged them to simplify and make these processes safer based on lessons learned from this experience,” she said.
She stressed that gender considerations should be integrated into all national processes. “It is time that every facet of our lives is examined through a gender lens,” she added.
The Minister highlighted that although both men and women participated in the exercise, women were disproportionately affected. “Even though we are all human, our biological differences mean that women were the most impacted,” she noted.
Madam Lartey clarified that recognizing these differences is not about inequality but about fairness and safety. “While we affirm that everyone is equal, gender considerations should be applied where it matters most for women,” she concluded.
