Berekum (Brong Ahafo) 23 April

Children and women need to be educated on the intestate law to enable them to stand against cheating and maltreatment in the event of the death of husbands, Mrs Mary Boakye, Berekum District Chief Executive has said.

The maltreatment and neglect of widows and children by families of deceased husbands are due to their ignorance of the law.

Mrs Boakye was speaking at a workshop in Berekum to round off a one-week programme organised in the Brong Ahafo region by the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), under its legal literacy project.

The programme was aimed at educating women and other vulnerable groups on the laws of intestate succession and wills.

Mrs Boakye urged parents to make the education of their children a priority to enable them to attain responsible positions in the future.

Mobile clinics were organised for various women groups, workers, students and opinion leaders at Wenchi, Techiman, Nkoranza and Berekum.

Participants also discussed maintenance of children, laws on marriage and conflict resolution between married couples.

Miss Luch Arthur, a member of FIDA advised women to ensure that their marriages are duly registered for their future security and that of their children.

The country's laws supersede that of any religious group's arrangement, she reminded married couples.

Relatives and not friends of couples should witness marriage under the ordinance or custom, to make it more authentic, she added.