Law against indecent dressing advocated

Hohoe (C/R), Aug. 6, GNA - Mr Edwin Darkey, Volta Regional Director of National Population Council (NPC), on Tuesday appealed to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to promulgate a law against indecent dressing.

Mr Darkey made this suggestion at the opening of a four-day workshop for 30 selected community members in the Hohoe Municipality. The workshop was organised to sensitise participants on Domestic Violence Law and reproductive rights of spouses in Hohoe. It was organized by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Ministry of Women and Children and the NPC, with funding from United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) under the auspices of the Hohoe Municipal Assembly.

Mr Darkey said western culture was incapacitating Ghana's values and called for censorship of foreign media and related materials to arrest the continuing corruption of the nation's morals.

Mrs Rita Narh, Volta Regional Coordinator of Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), said the Unit received 1,075 cases in 2007. They included rape and defilement, assault, threats, abduction, forced marriages and failure to exercise parental responsibilities. She said the last quarter of 2007 produced the highest number of cases totalling 399.

Mrs Narh appealed to the public to report cases to the Unit and refrain from family arbitrations, which she said, usually thwart the course of justice.

Madam Lena Alai, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Women, said where the Legal Aid Board and DOVVSU were not available, paralegals with the requisite knowledge and skills would provide the platform to arbitrate, advice or refer cases of domestic violence to the appropriate quarters.

She said statistics on Domestic Violence in the region showed that the public was awakening to its responsibility towards addressing the problem. Madam Alai said the Regional Unit of DOVVSU lacked transport and other aids vital to the efficient and effective performance of its tasks.

Mr Makena Kane, Country Representative of UNFPA, said the involvement and response of the community in the promotion of rights and gender equality were pre-requisites for improving quality of life for all as envisaged in the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy II and Millennium Development Goals.

He was optimistic that the collaboration and partnership with metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies would further promote the rights of women, men and children and ensure access to information, services and opportunities.