Manso-Nkwanta (Ash), April 24, GNA - The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana) has said passage of the Domestic Violence (DV) Act by parliament has improved women's access to justice. Miss Eudora Oppong, the Ashanti Regional Administrator of FIDA-Ghana, said the bill has also given further support to the work of civil society organizations that seek to curb the incidence of domestic violence. She was speaking at a-two-day "Legal Literacy Education" workshop attended by about 400 participants selected from over 28 communities in the Amansie West District.

The participants included assembly members, religious and traditional leaders, traders, market women, teachers, artisans, farmers, community organizations and other opinion leaders. It was sponsored by Virginia Gilder Sleeve International Fund Incorporated, a non-governmental organization based in the United States that aims at improving the lives of women and children worldwide. Miss Oppong said it was a criminal offence for any person to eject the surviving spouse and children when Letters of Administration had not been granted by a competent court of jurisdiction.

FIDA-Ghana, she said, has therefore expressed regret that almost 15 years after the Fourth Republican Constitution the property of Spouses Bill is yet to become a reality. Mr. Benjamin Kwakye Adeefe, the Amansie West District Chief Executive, lauded FIDA-Ghana for its outreach programmes and said, it would greatly influence attitude and mind-set of the target groups. A similar workshop had also been held at Kuntanase in the Atwima Kwanwoma District that was attended by more than 300 participants.