Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called for stronger global action to ensure women and girls have meaningful access to justice, stressing that gender equality cannot be achieved without effective legal systems that protect their rights.

Addressing the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the United Nations headquarters in New York on March 8, which coincided with International Women’s Day, the minister told world leaders that justice for women and girls must remain central to efforts aimed at achieving sustainable development and human rights.

“Ensuring justice for women and girls is both a legal obligation and a critical pillar for achieving equality, human rights, peace, and sustainable development,” she said during the general discussion segment of the high-level meeting.

Dr Lartey outlined a range of legislative and policy measures introduced by Ghana in recent years to promote gender equality and strengthen legal protection for women and girls.

These include the Affirmative Action (Gender Equity) Act, 2024, the National Gender Policy (2025–2034), the Social Protection Act, 2025, the Cybersecurity Act, 2020, the Land Act, 2020 and the Environmental Protection Act, 2025.

She explained that Ghana was investing in building gender-responsive justice systems by training judicial officers, law enforcement personnel, social service providers and paralegals to improve the handling of cases involving women and girls.

According to her, government agencies are also intensifying community outreach programmes to educate women and girls about their legal rights and the avenues available for seeking redress.

Touching on the issue of gender-based violence, the minister said Ghana had established specialised units within the Ghana Police Service and created gender desks at both national and local levels to support victims and improve the management of such cases.

She added that collaboration among the judiciary, social welfare institutions and civil society organisations had also been strengthened to improve the reporting, investigation and prosecution of offences against women.

Despite the progress made, Dr Lartey acknowledged that many women and girls still face barriers in accessing justice due to social, economic and structural challenges.

She noted that addressing these obstacles would require sustained political commitment and stronger cooperation between governments and international partners.

Dr Lartey concluded by reaffirming Ghana’s commitment to building a more inclusive and equitable justice system and pledged that the country would continue to work with global partners to dismantle discriminatory laws and challenge harmful social norms that limit opportunities for women and girls.