Adib Nehmeh 2

Adib Nehmeh 2

Ashanti’s life begins in her family hut. But, as only 25 per cent of the Ghanaian population consults a doctor, her mother dies a few hours after delivery. The traditional midwife is not able to stop the haemorrhaging. Her mother joins the hundreds of women who die in childbirth every year – the maternal mortality rate in Ghana is 200 women per 100,000. Ashanti is underweight, born below 2kg. The under-five mortality rate is 111 per thousand live births.

The school is a big hut, with no equipment and running water. She is however lucky to go to school at all. In Ghana, 21 per cent of boys and 41 per cent of girls have never gone to school, and 38 per cent of men and 64 per cent of women are illiterate. Ashanti does not even finish her first year at school when she is subjected to a circumcision ceremony with other girls in the village: she is five years old. In the north of Ghana, 77 per cent of girls undergo female genital mutilation between the ages of 5 and 13.

Unfortunately, after three years of school, she is forced to leave in order to help her family. She begins to work with her family in the fields. In Ghana, 2.5 million children aged 5–17, or 40 per cent of children in that age group, work. The owner of one of the fields in which she works takes a liking to her. He is

50 years old. He tells Ashanti’s father that he likes her and wants to marry her. The father agrees. In return, he can continue working in the field and receive

a minor allowance. When Ashanti reaches puberty, she cannot imagine herself to be the wife of the owner of the land, who is 38 years her senior. She decides to run away to the capital, Accra, where she will work as a ‘porter’ (‘Kayayee’) in the market. She lives in the street, where she is subjected to all kinds of abuse. Of the children who work in the capital city, 23 per cent are attempting to escape poverty in the countryside. The majority of them are girls.

Ashanti’s father calls her back, claiming that he is ill. When she returns, she finds out that, in reality, one of her brothers has stolen two cows from a family in another tribe. As a punishment, the family of the person who committed the theft has to send one of their daughters in servitude to the aggrieved tribe. To date, 4700 cases of tribal servitude for life (‘Trokosi’) have already been recorded in the country.

For 40 years, Ashanti lives in servitude to the other tribe, without any rights (or compensation) whatsoever. She gives birth to three children: two

POLICY CASE STUDIES

boys and a girl. Her life suddenly takes another turn when the son of the village chief dies from a fever. She is accused of witchcraft, and is sent, along with her daughter, to a witch camp: 3000 women and 500 girls are currently estimated to live in such camps.

Questions

13.1 Identify the areas of public policy which affect Ashanti’s life.

13.2 If you were the members of a Ghanaian women’s organization, which area would you prioritize? Why?