A Non-Governmental Organization, Community Life Project, has called for total eradication of the harmful traditional practices and denial of women inheritance being practiced in some communities of Imo State.
The Programme Manager of the organization, Celine Osukwu, who make the call during the training of women leaders in Owerri North, Imo State on Monday, explained that the essence of the training with the theme: “The Role of Women Leaders in Building Just and Healthy Families and Communities” was to highlight some socio-cultural issues with the need to addressing them.
“The issue of women right to inheritance to their father’s property needs wider awareness and sensitization for general acceptance by the people. Women should have rights to their father’s property just like their male counterpart. We need to stop the discrimination”.
“The community leaders and stakeholders need to come together to determine to address those issues that are prone to causing troubles within the communities and families. There’s need to stop gender based violence in the society and that can be achieved through ensuring healthy families and communities and creating safe space for open communication”She said.
Osukwu listed the harmful traditional sociocultural issues that demand urgent attention to include: Keeping widows indoors until the husband is buried, women not participating financially in the burial of their husband, denial of husband’s property especially when she does not have a male child and widows being isolated from using things together with other family members
Others she noted include forcing widows to take oath by community to prove her innocence over their husband’s death, taking women as inferior among other discriminating factors being suffered by women in the communities.
She disclosed that the organization is working in the Southeast to address the issues that impinge on the growth of women especially breaking glass ceilings that come as stereotypes.
Osukwu urged the traditional institutions to continue to campaign against victimization of women and girl children and offer the opportunities to live their full potentials as they are not inferior to anyone.
One of the participants, OsujiEbere said “We should learn to treat especially women and girl children with dignity and respect. There’s no need to give more preference to the male child. Everyone should be made to perform roles together without reserving roles for one gender as has been the challenge in most communities.
She spoke against early marriage, denial of father’s inheritance, education of female and male children to enable them become better children in future and frown against discrimination of the women and girl children. She assured that she will take the learning from the training down to other people especially during their August meetings.
The Punch
