The Ghanaian Immigration Service Is Denying Candidates With Bleached Skin and Stretch Marks
The organization claims that they've done so to prevent candidates from "bleeding during strenuous activities."
The Ghanaian Immigration Service (GIS) has barred candidates with bleached skinned and stretch marks from taking part in a major employee recruitment, stating that candidates with either could potentially bleed during strenuous activity, reports BBC Africa.
The motion also disqualifies people with dread locks, tattoos, and bowed legs from participating.
"The kind of work we do, it's strenuous and the training is such that if you have bleached skin or surgical marks on your body during training exercises, you may incur some bleedings," said Superintendent Michael Amoako-Attah, to BBC Pidgin.
Many on social media have criticized the decision, calling it arbitrary and sexist—though its worth noting that both men and women bleach and get stretch marks—and overtly discriminatory.
The specific rule about stretch marks has garnered the most responses so far.
@montrelz @BBCAfrica @njikidjemi I guess having stretch marks makes one incompetent or a liability.— Nina Forgwe (@Nina Forgwe) 1515434764.0
@BBCAfrica But what's stretch marks got to do with this😵😵😵😵, this is discrimination 😢— ayyah blue (@ayyah blue) 1515433096.0
@BBCAfrica Not getting a job because of strech marks, men get strech marks too! Are they automatically disqualified… https://t.co/NFtS5wZ4A6— Applebottom James (@Applebottom James) 1515430423.0
@BBCAfrica Ghana immigration service has lost the plot, completely— Victor Dlamini (@Victor Dlamini) 1515430317.0
Ghana .. 😅😅 will no longer be employing women who are bleaching themselves 😩 & wait for it...women with stretch marks!#CantMakeThisStuffUp— Danny~Munyi (@Danny~Munyi) 1515440210.0
The GIS has faced widespread backlash recently, after announcing that it would take only 500 of the 84,000 people who applied, after they had already paid for the application.