Chief Advocate For The Re-Introduction Of “Bragoro” To Help Reduce HIV Infection
The Adontehene of Atuahene, a farming community in the Sunyani Municipality in the Brong-Ahafo region, Nana Asamoah Boakye is advocating for the re-introduction of bragoro to help reduce new HIV infection among the youth.
According to him, the focus of the Ghana's strategic plan of reducing new infection of HIV and AIDS by 50% at the end of 2015 will be a mirage if pragmatic measures are not put in place to help the youth to abstain from pre-marital sex and multiple sex partners.
Nana Asamoah Boakye said in an interview at a workshop organized for selected chiefs, queen mothers, and women leaders in Sunyani West District and Sunyani Municipality at Abesim near Sunyani.
The Workshop was organized by the International Federation of Women Lawyer (FIDA Ghana) with funding from Womankind, UK based NGO under its project: 'Increasing Access to Property and Inheritance Right of Women Living With HIV and AIDS in Ghana'.
Although the awareness of HIV prevention among the public and most at risk populations is very high, this knowledge, according to Nana Asamoah has not adequately be translated to behavioural change especially among the youth.
Nana was with the view that the re-introduction of the puberty rite (bragoro) will serve as a check to prevent the youth from engaging in pre-marital sex in order to avoid contracting the disease.
Touching on stigmatization and discrimination against People Living With HIV and AIDS, Nana Asamoah Boakye stressed the need for traditional leaders to lead the crusader against stigmatization and discrimination against People Living With HIV and AIDS.
He noted that HIV stigma and discrimination is a significant factor in Ghana and is a hindrance to accessing HIV prevention services resulting in exposure to HIV infection.
The Kronkohemaa of Nsuatre, Nana Yaa Kyeremaa was not happy about indecent dressing among the youth especially among tertiary students and therefore called on school authorities to ensure that strict measures are in place to prevent students from wearing indecent dressing on campus.
Nana Kyeremaa said although gender issues are recognized as key to confronting HIV and AIDS; however, government has failed to put in place comprehensive strategies to address gender.
She therefore called on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to come out with interventions to tackle gender factors influencing the spread of HIV.
Presenting a paper on the topic: 'Stigmatization', the Resource Mobilization Manager of FIDA Ghana, Susan Aryeetey, called on the media lead the campaign against stigma to help reduce it especially against Women Living With HIV.
She noted that Women Living With HIV and AIDS also have their fundamental human rights that need to be protected and condemned the situation whereby HIV patients are subjected to all form of abuses.
Mrs Aryeetey underscored the need to address the structural inequalities that make difficult for HIV positive women to access their property and inheritance rights after the death of their husbands.
WOMEN LIVING WITH HIV PLEADS WITH PHARMACISTS TO GO BACK TO WORK
Women Living with HIV in the Brong-Ahafo Region have made a passionate appeal to the members of the Ghana Pharmaceutical Association to temper justice with mercy and go back to work to enable them have access to their life saving wire - anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
According to her, the strike by the pharmacists is threaten their survival because the depend much on the anti-retroviral therapy which is they put it 'their life saving wire'
The Women made the appeal at a Capacity Building and Sensitization Workshop for Women Living with Living HIV and AIDS and their Service Providers at Abesim near Sunyani.
The International Federation of Women Lawyer (FIDA Ghana) with financial backing from UNWomen under its project organized the day's event: 'Increasing Access to Property and Inheritance Right of Women Living With HIV and AIDS in Ghana'.
The main goal of the project is to address the structural inequalities that make difficult for HIV positive women to access their property and inheritance rights after the death of their husbands.
The women also appealed to government, Fair Wages and Salary Commission to address the concerns of the pharmacists to enable them to go back to work as soon as possible.
The Women Living With HIV were unhappy about the attitude of some health and community based workers towards them and Doctors and Nurses who provide services to them.
They therefore stressed the need for intensive sensitization for health and community based workers on HIV related stigma to help minimize stigmatization of people living with HIV as well as reduced stigma against health workers providing HIV services.
They further called for sensitization among policy makers, traditional, opinion and religious leaders on HIV related stigma to enable them join the stigma reduction campaign.
In her presentation on the topic: 'Property Rights of Women in Relation to Succession', the Executive Director of FIDA Ghana, Jane Quaye, said many women and their children were deprived of properties which they had labored and toiled with their deceased husbands.
According to her, to added salt to injury, they were made to undergo widowhood rite and ritual servitude upon the death of their husbands. This inhumane act, she noted is unacceptable and called for abrupt stop to such barbaric act.
The Executive Director , who is a Lawyer by profession called of parliament to amend a section of the Children's Act, 1998 (ACT 560) that stated that property of a deceased husband that is less than ten million old Ghana cedis must go to the spouse and children, adding 'this is too small'.
Touching on challenges facing the implementation of the Interstate Succession Law, she pointed out that it application has been problematic, however she was quick to added that it is still a good standard after all the years in operation.