Some 200 widows in the Talensi-Nabdam District of the Upper East Region have staged a demonstration at Tongo to press home their demand for the abolition of negative cultural practices which dehumanise them, according to a Radio Ghana report. They presented a resolution to the Regional Minister through the District Chief Executive, to be presented to Parliament. The demonstration was organised by a local non-governmental organisation, Widows and Orphans Ministry, and sponsored by Action Aid, Ghana. The marchers held placards some of which read, "Stop forcing widows to marry their late husbands’ brothers", "Stop hurting widows. It’s against their human rights" and "Stop accusing widows of witchcraft." The six-point resolution, among other things, called on political leaders, chiefs, assembly members and other stakeholders to respect the rights of all women, including widows. It appealed to the district assembly and chiefs to ban the performance of negative widowhood rites in their communities, and to ensure that all customary practices are in consonance with the country’s laws. The resolution also appealed to the district assembly to give priority to widows in the disbursement of the poverty alleviation fund. Ms. Mavis Zooga, the group’s spokesperson recalled how widows are forced to visit the corpses of their husbands while naked and in the company of men. She said during funerals widows are compelled to wear only leaves to cover their private parts and are required by custom to bathe and eat while sitting on a rubbish dump. Receiving the resolution, the DCE, Mr Sebastian Bisnab Tibil, assured the widows that he would forward their concerns to the appropriate quarters. He said the government respects for the dignity of women as a top priority and it will do everything possible to have customary practices which infringe on women’s dignity abolished. From: The Ghanaian Times