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FIDA holds durbar to empower women
on access to justice
Zuarungu (U/E), July
17, Ghanadot/GNA - The Federation of African Women Lawyers
on Monday held a durbar at Zuarungu in the Upper East Region
in renewed sensitisation efforts to empower women to easily
access justice whenever the need arises.
In his introductory remarks, the Programme Officer in charge
of the Upper East Region, Mr David Atinga, held that
majority of women in Ghana, especially those from the
Northern Sector, suffered unacceptable cultural practices,
which contravened the country's laws.
He mentioned widowhood rites, the inability of women to
inherit and own land, Female Genital Mutilation and domestic
violence as some of the negative cultural practices
affecting women in the area.
Mr Atinga said although laws had been passed to curb these
outmoded and inhuman practices, they still persisted, adding
that it was against that background that FIDA-Ghana had
stepped in to empower them to easily access justice.
To achieve this, FIDA is organising sensitisation workshops
and durbars on Women and Children Rights, as well as
training of paralegals and forming module courts and
community aid groups to deal with the situation.
Mr Atinga expressed regret that in many communities women
were not allowed to go to school or seek higher levels of
education, adding that women were given few positions in
politics and in areas where they could not influence
decisions affecting them.
Mr Atinga said some innocent women died through HIV/AIDS due
to the lifestyle of their spouses and appealed to
traditional and opinion leaders to map out up an effective
strategy to combat the menace.
The Programme Officer inaugurated newly trained community
Aid Groups and Sister Watch Groups, which FIDA would
collaborate with in the fight to eliminate those negative
practices and thus help promote the status of women.
He cautioned the groups not to abuse the system by making
themselves lawyers, or usurping the powers of traditional
authorities and assembly members, but rather, they should
collaborate with these bodies to deal with the situation.
A resource person, Mr. Alfred Saawug, who spoke on the topic
" Gender Roles and Their Effects on Women and Children",
urged equal opportunities for women and asked that
girl-child Education should be valued and encouraged.
GNA
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