PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED SATISFACTION

23-11-09 PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSED SATISFACTION
Participants at a just ended forum on Domestic Violence held at Zuarungu in the Upper East Region, have expressed their satisfaction about the Property Right of Spouse’s bill and the Interstate Succession Bill yet to be put before parliament for consideration and passage. The forum which was organized by a sister youth group in collaboration with the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), brought together, a section of the public ,chiefs, women right groups, and the Zuarungu Women Cottage Industry Association (ZUWOCIA). According to the participants the passage of the two bills which seeks to ensure certainty in matters connected with the property rights of spouses and other related matters, will ensure equitable distribution of properties jointly acquired by marriage couples. The Upper East Regional Co-ordinator of FIDA, David Atinga in a speech said, the bill has not only come to address the problems of women but also the men as well. He said 95 percent of cases brought before his outfit has been settled with the support from other institutions such DOVVSU, and the Department of Social Welfare in the region. He added that this year, only 42 cases as against 50 cases last year have been reported to the office of FIDA. Some of the cases reported come under problems of battering, denial of lands and other properties, refusal of pregnancy among others. He therefore charged the general public to report cases of violence to the appropriate quarters for prompt action to be taken. Mr. Atinga cautioned those who swallow the pill of abuse due to stigmatization and harassment from their neighbors, to desist from the act since their rights and protection as citizens are enshrined in the constitution.
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