Bolgatanga, May 14, GNA- The Minister of Women and Children's Affairs, Mrs. Gladys Asmah on Thursday called on the people of the Upper East Region to make inputs into the Domestic Violence Bill. She said all stakeholders should objectively discuss the bill before it is presented to parliament for debate.

Mrs. Asmah was addressing stakeholders at a forum held in Bolgatanga to discuss the bill. She identified poverty, illiteracy and mistrust as the root causes of domestic violence, particularly spousal abuse, explaining that her ministry was set up to help women and children overcome such problems.

On responsible parenting, Mrs. Asmah said every child has potentials and urged parents to give their children the necessary support to be responsible adults

Launching the Zero tolerance for the Female Genetal Mutilation (FGM) in the region, Mrs. Asmah said February 6, every year has been set aside by the United Nations (UN) to create global awareness for the eradication of the practice. She charged traditional rulers to help eliminate the practice. She presented 2,000 books on FGM for distribution to public libraries and Senior Secondary Schools in the region.

Mr. Paul Allouh, Special Assistant to the Upper East Regional Minister, said the issues of women and children were important to the development of the area. He said deliberations on the Domestic Violence Bill and the launching of the zero tolerance for FGM, would go a long way to remind people to guard against outmoded practices.