Chief calls on Advocacy
Groups to intensify campaign on negative
cultures
Kumasi, Dec. 07, GNA - Nana Osei Kwame Agyemang
Serebour Tia-Toa, Paramount Chief of Juansa
Traditional Area, has called on Human Rights
Advocacy Groups and stakeholders to intensify
campaign against cultural practices that impact
negatively on the development of women in
society.
He mentioned cultural practices like Trokosi,
Early marriages and Widowhood rites that subdued
capabilities of woman and stressed the need to
halt such practices to enable women play
positive role in national development.
Nana Tia-Toa made the call when addressing the
opening session of a day’s seminar on Gender
Violence Campaign, organised jointly by Gender
and Human Rights Documentation Centre and Centre
for the Development of People (CEDEP) in Kumasi
on Thursday.
The seminar attended by 60 participants
including women, the clergy and Assembly members
was to draw their attention to violence against
women and how to solve them.
He said under the Constitution both men and
women had equal rights and regretted that women
had been marginalised in society because of many
factors including violence against them.
Nana Tia-Toa noted that rape, defilement and
assault on women had been on the increase and
suggested that women groups and other
non-governmental organisations should be in the
forefront to campaign to halt such practices.
He appealed to the National Commission for Civic
Education (NCCE), Advocacy Groups, Churches and
other organisations to intensify their education
to curb such problems in society.
The Paramount Chief said efforts by Government
to enact the Domestic Violence Bill was in the
right direction and optimistic it would give
protection to the rights of women.
Mrs Elizabeth Adubofour, Programme Officer of
CEDEP said Gender inequality was affecting
national development and was optimistic the
seminar would create the needed awareness to
address such problems.
She announced that Gender Violence Campaign
would be celebrated this month under the theme,
“Advance Human Rights-End Violence Against
Women”
During an open forum, the participants expressed
concern about discrimination against women in
offering employment opportunities and called on
Government to address the problem.
GNA
