Widows join forces to fight for rights

Tamale (Northern Region) 24 May ?99

Widows in the Northern Region have formed a welfare association to promote public awareness about their plight and provide a common platform to address their needs.

Known as the "Widows Ministries", membership transcends ethnic, religious and political affiliation. .

A 12-member executive for the association, which aims at fighting to eliminate especially customary practices that dehumanise widows, was elected on Saturday.

Mr. Patrick Ankobeah, assistant director of administration at the office of the regional co-ordinating council, who inaugurated the executive on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr Joshua Alabi, described the association as a laudable attempt to increase awareness of the intestate succession law.

The law seeks to defend the rights of spouses who are disinherited under certain customary rites when either of them dies intestate.

Mr. Ankobeah said while the law is effective enough to check these anomalies, a number of widows, especially those at the rural communities, cannot take advantage of it due to illiteracy and ignorance.

Mr. Ankobeah urged the widows ministries to lead the campaign to promote widowhood rights to reverse the untold hardships and humiliation these women go through.

He advised the association to register with the national mobilisation programme to get assistance for their colleagues who were affected by the 1994 ethnic conflict.

Madam Fati Paul, regional co-ordinator of the National Council for Women and Development advised the widows not to allow their misfortune to prevent them from playing their roles towards the nation's development.