Mampong (Ashanti Region), 23 Feb. '999,

Service providers of the Centre for Development of People (CEDEP) Women's Forum, an NGO,have called on traditional rulers to gear customary practices towards promoting gender balance. This, they, said the traditional rulers could do by getting involved in the education campaign on gender in their traditional areas. These were contained in a resolution adopted at the end of a five-day gender sensitisation workshop organised by the CEDEP Women's Forum for 28 service providers in the Sekyere West district at Asante-Mampong at the weekend. The workshopn on the theme "Gender sensitisation towards development", treated topics like human rights and sensitisation, the United Nations (UN) Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, the situation of women in Ghana, technological empowerment and the UN convention on the rights of children. The resolution further charged traditional rulers to encourage the education of the girl-child and called for the scrapping of taboos which militate against growth and development. It suggested the setting up of training workshops jointly by Christians and Muslims to train the youth, particularly girls so as to put them into gainful employment. It noted that the practice of giving away girls in marriage at early ages does not promote the development of the girl-child and therefore called for its abolition. The resolution advocated the introduction of technical and vocational education in Teacher Training Colleges so that teachers can teach these subjects right from the primary schools.