Abolish widowhood rites to stem the spread of HIV.

Participants at a one-day workshop organized for stakeholders on HIV/AIDS for Wassa Amenfi West, Wassa Amenfi East, Prestea-Huni Valley District and Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality have called for the abolition of widowhood rites to stem the spread of HIV.

They said the rites were a recipe for the spread of HIV to women who have lost their husbands and were forced to sleep with unknown men.

They said most often these women were forced to have sexual intercourse with men whose HIV status they do not know in order to tear special beads put around the waists of these women.

The participants said giving young females for marriage at an early age do not augur well for the victims since some of the men might be HIV positive and called for its abolition.