Report By: Ishmael Barfi
Kwesi Pratt Jnr, the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, has voiced his strong dissatisfaction with Ghana’s current maternity leave policy. He criticized the existing 12-week maternity leave period for nursing mothers in official employment, which necessitates a medical certificate from a practitioner or midwife detailing the expected date of confinement.
Speaking at a forum organized by the Socialist Movement of Ghana (SMG), Mr. Pratt Jnr called for a substantial extension of the maternity leave period.
“I challenge anyone who has seen a six-week-old baby to tell me it’s acceptable for mothers to leave such young infants at home,” he stated. “It is absolutely reckless to have a maternity leave regime that forces mothers to return to work just six weeks after giving birth.”
He elaborated that newborns are incredibly fragile and require extensive care and attention from their mothers. The current policy, he argued, does not adequately support the health and well-being of both the mother and the child.
Mr. Pratt is advocating for the maternity leave to be extended to at least six months, enabling nursing mothers to provide the necessary care for their children during this critical period.
Moreover, Mr. Pratt Jnr highlighted the broader societal implications of inadequate maternity leave, emphasizing that it undermines the fundamental rights of mothers and children. He also pointed out that extending maternity leave is aligned with global best practices, which typically grant longer periods for postnatal care.
In addition to advocating for extended maternity leave, Mr. Pratt Jnr called for the introduction of paternity leave to ensure that fathers also have the opportunity to support their partners and bond with their newborns. He stressed that paternity leave is crucial for promoting gender equality and shared parenting responsibilities.
Mr. Pratt urged the public to use the upcoming December 7 elections as a platform to demand clear positions from presidential candidates on the issue of extending maternity leave. He believes that the political leadership must prioritize this critical aspect of social welfare and make commitments to reform the current policies.
The forum, organized by the Socialist Movement of Ghana, provided a platform for discussing various social justice issues, with a particular focus on improving the rights and conditions of workers. Mr. Pratt’s passionate plea for extended maternity and paternity leave received significant support from attendees, who echoed the need for policy reforms to better support families.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
