The Savannah Women Empowerment Group Ghana (SWEGG) has marked this year’s Sixteen day of Activism in Upper East which is set aside by the United Nations to end violence against women.

As part of part of the celebrations, the Upper East branch of SWEGG held a press conference with a call to end negative cultural practices that impede progress of women.

The Regional President of SWEGG, Madam Veronica Barik, mentioned negative cultural practices including female genital mutilation, widowhood rites, and forced marriages as some of the forms of violence meted out to women.

She said such negative cultural practices did not only undermine the health of the victim, but also affect the human dignity of the victim

“Article 26(2) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana states that all customary practices, which dehumanize or are injurious to the physical and mental well-being of a person, are prohibited”, she said.

Mad Barik expressed worry about some parents’ withdrawal of their daughters from school, for marriages and said this jeopardized their future and should be stopped.

She appealed to stakeholders particularly traditional and religious leaders including civil society organizations to collaborate to help abolish and reform negative cultural practices.