Law in Ghana bans menstruating girls from crossing a river; Equal protection?
Ghanaian schoolgirls have been banned from crossing a river while they are menstruating - and on Tuesdays. The ban, apparently given by a local river god, has outraged children's activists, especially as girls must cross the river to reach school. It means girls in the Upper Denkyira East district, in the Central Region, could miss out on their education. Sub-Saharan Africa is already struggling to keep girls in school during their periods. (Menstruating girls banned from crossing Ghana river; BBC News ;11 January 2018)
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A ban on schoolgirls in Ghana crossing a river when menstruating - and on Tuesdays - has been condemned by child rights activists. The ban, apparently issued by a local river god, means girls in Ghana’s Upper Denkyira East district could miss out on their education during their period as they have to cross the River Ofin to get to school, the BBC reported. “These girls need to cross the river to get to their school, so banning them from doing this is a violation of their rights,” said Asum-Kwarteng Ahensah, country director for child rights group Plan International Ghana. (10 JANUARY 13, 2018 / 2:19 AM; No school, period! Menstruating Ghanaian girls banned from river crossing; Varsha Saraogi)
The equal protection of the law clause is against undue favor and individual or class privilege, as well as hostile discrimination or the oppression of inequality. It is not intended to prohibit legislation, which is limited either in the object to which it is directed or by territory within which is to operate. It does not demand absolute equality among residents; it merely requires that all persons shall be treated alike, under like circumstances and conditions both as to privileges conferred and liabilities enforced. The equal protection clause is not infringed by legislation which applies only to those persons falling within a specified class, if it applies alike to all persons within such class, and reasonable grounds exists for making a distinction between those who fall within such class and those who do not. (2 Cooley, Constitutional Limitations, 824-825; G.R. No. L-7995, May 31, 1957) The following photo is by CrashCourse, "Equal Protection: Crash Course Government and Politics #29." In this video, Craig is going to talk about the most important part of the Constitution - the Fourteenth Amendment. In particular, we're going to discuss the "equal protection" clause and how it relates to our civil rights. So we've spent the last few episodes talking about civil liberties , or our protections from the government, but civil rights are different as they involve how some groups of citizens are able to treat other groups (usually minorities) under existing laws. We'll talk about the process the Supreme Court follows in equal protection cases, called strict scrutiny, and look at one landmark case, Brown v Board of Education, and explain its role in starting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A ban on schoolgirls in Ghana crossing a river when menstruating - and on Tuesdays - has been condemned by child rights activists. The ban, apparently issued by a local river god, means girls in Ghana’s Upper Denkyira East district could miss out on their education during their period as they have to cross the River Ofin to get to school, the BBC reported. “These girls need to cross the river to get to their school, so banning them from doing this is a violation of their rights,” said Asum-Kwarteng Ahensah, country director for child rights group Plan International Ghana. (10 JANUARY 13, 2018 / 2:19 AM; No school, period! Menstruating Ghanaian girls banned from river crossing; Varsha Saraogi)
The equal protection of the law clause is against undue favor and individual or class privilege, as well as hostile discrimination or the oppression of inequality. It is not intended to prohibit legislation, which is limited either in the object to which it is directed or by territory within which is to operate. It does not demand absolute equality among residents; it merely requires that all persons shall be treated alike, under like circumstances and conditions both as to privileges conferred and liabilities enforced. The equal protection clause is not infringed by legislation which applies only to those persons falling within a specified class, if it applies alike to all persons within such class, and reasonable grounds exists for making a distinction between those who fall within such class and those who do not. (2 Cooley, Constitutional Limitations, 824-825; G.R. No. L-7995, May 31, 1957) The following photo is by CrashCourse, "Equal Protection: Crash Course Government and Politics #29." In this video, Craig is going to talk about the most important part of the Constitution - the Fourteenth Amendment. In particular, we're going to discuss the "equal protection" clause and how it relates to our civil rights. So we've spent the last few episodes talking about civil liberties , or our protections from the government, but civil rights are different as they involve how some groups of citizens are able to treat other groups (usually minorities) under existing laws. We'll talk about the process the Supreme Court follows in equal protection cases, called strict scrutiny, and look at one landmark case, Brown v Board of Education, and explain its role in starting the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.
