Mr Nestor Mwinterebo, the Assembly Member for the Goriyiri Electoral Area has appealed to communities to support women who courageously offer themselves to be elected to occupy leadership positions.

He said they should even go a step further by encouraging the women to know they have the capacity to lead for them to offer themselves for the community to rally behind them to ensure their success.

Mr Mwinterebo made the appeal during a community forum on Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Girls (EROP) organized by the EROP Project Support Team under the auspices of the African Centre for Human Rights and Sustainable Development (AfCHuRSD) at Vogonni in the Nadowli-Kaleo District of the Upper West Region.

The Assemblyman wondered why people believe in the traditional saying that “It is strangers that develop a community” and yet women who they considered strangers in their husband’s communities were not given the chance to contribute their bid in developing the communities through leadership.

“I want to appeal to the men, please, if your woman wants to contest Assembly elections or any other leadership position, even if it is your animals you will sell to support her, please do so”, he said.

Mr Mwinterobo noted that women were gifted with natural nurturing and lobbying skills and if they support them to take up leadership positions, they would use that to lobby for development to their communities.

Mr Umar Yakubu Yaarun, the Nadowli-Kaleo District Director of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), advised the community people to eschew domestic violence to avoid falling foul of the law.

He encouraged them to endeavour to report any issues of human rights abuse to agencies such as CHRAJ, police, social welfare, and Legal Aid among others for support.

Mr Yaarun said the practice where man’s family collected every property of the man away from his wife and children after his death was against the law, and advised the victims to report to the appropriate agencies for help with regards to how the property should be shared.

Mr Felix Baazing, the Chief of Vogonni community urged the people to take the education serious as it would help them live in peace and harmony with their families and in the community at large.

He pleaded with couples to have patience with each other and their children whilst also supporting each other to take advantage of opportunities for the growth of the family.

Madam Helena Awilba, from the community thanked AfCHuRSD for bringing the EROP Project to the community, saying it had helped open the eyes of both women and men in the community to many things that they did not know at first.

She said she believed with the education on human rights and domestic violence, the men would humble themselves but pleaded with her colleague women not to take it as an opportunity to want to walk over them.

Madam Helena said it was to help bring peace and unity to their families and communities, stressing that when they have peace, unity and love in their families, their children would grow not only to appreciate them but would also continue to live in peace and unity with their families.

Mr David Ganye, the EROP Project Coordinator noted that the project sought to ensure that women and girls in Ghana realised their human rights and utilize opportunities to better their lot.

EROP is being funded by the Dutch Embassy in Ghana with implementation partnership by GH Alliance, AfCHuRSD and WOMEN IN NEED (WIN).