Women urged to fight against negative cultural practices

Tongo, (UE), Jan 22, GNA- Ms Elizabeth Adongo, the Gender Officer of the Talensi-Nabdam District in the Upper East Region, has appealed to human rights activists to sensitise women to enable them to fight against negative cultural practices through legal means. She reminded women that there existed laws in the country that protected them against negative traditional practice and rituals. In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Tongo, Ms Adongo, cited that practice such as widowhood rites, female genital mutilation (FGM) and tribal marks were dehumanising and should be stopped.

She expressed dismay about the practice in which widows were stripped and forced to stay with their late husbands brothers or relatives and have sex with them against their wish adding that it could result in the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Ms Adongo said even though FMG had declined it was still being practiced in some remote area in the region.

She said NGO's sensitization workshops and durbars for both women and men on the need to modify negative cultural practices were yielding positive results.