Salaga (N/R), May 26, GNA - There is not a single elected woman in the East Gonja District Assembly out of the 66 male-dominated House, a Gender Desk Officer at the Assembly has said.

Madam Margaret Zenabu told the GNA in an interview at Salaga on Thursday that even though there were six women government appointees in the Assembly, their presence was not impacting positively on the large women population in the District.

She said many women contested the last District Assembly Election but lost to their male counterparts due to traditional beliefs and customary practices, which frowned on women participating actively in politics.

She said some of these beliefs and practices bothered on the perception that unmarried women had no moral uprightness and therefore could not manage the affairs of a community.

Madam Zenabu said some of the women also lost because they were considered as non-residents of the communities that they were representing and as such, were not participating in social activities of those communities.

She said some men considered women as objects of interest in the family who should not occupy social and political positions, adding that this perception was discouraging women from participating actively in politics.

Madam Zenabu urged gender-oriented NGOs and the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs to come to the District to help educate the people to change the perception of men against women. She said this would encourage more women to contest the forthcoming district assembly election.

"It is time for our husbands to see us as partners in development and not just objects of interest in the family since the welfare of the family depends on the efficiency and quality of women", she said. Madam Zenabu appealed to the District Assembly to allocate part of the 20 per cent share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund for poverty reduction activities to women to enable them to undertake productive ventures to enhance their livelihoods.