The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) is implementing a project to increase access to property and inheritance rights to property and inheritance rights for women living with HIV/AIDS in Ghana.
The overall objective of the one-year project, founded by the United Nations Womens Fund, is to address the structural inequalities that make it difficult for HIV positive women to access their property and inheritance rights.
The beneficiary towns are Sunyani and Wenchi in the Brong-Ahafo, Agomenya in the Eastern and Ho in the Volta Regions.
Speaking at the day’s refresher training workshop for partners in Sunyani, the project Assistant of FIDA Ghana, Benedicta Laryea, noted that there were a number of women living with HIV/AIDS who did not have access to their property and inheritance owing to stigmatisation and discrimination, as well as illiteracy and poverty.
She said that situations, if not checked, could have grave implications not only for their own safety and treatment, but also for their families.
Ms Laryea noted that the loss of shelter and livelihood often experienced by women living with HIV and AIDS could push them into a state of destitution and marginalisation and high vulnerability to the disease, among others.
According to her, dissemination of findings from an earlier research by her outfit in 2007, on legal challenges of women infected or affected by the disease, revealed some emerging issues as ignorance of basic laws concerning marriage and property rights.
Ms Laryea said though there was a law for the protection of women’s property and inheritance rights under PNDC Law 111, in practice women and girls were still discriminated against during the distribution of property, a situation she attributed to the country’s cultural norms.
FIDA Ghana, she noted was seeking support to build on existing the work and continued to provide support for infected and affected women, while expanding its support base.
The Projects Manager, Bawa Fisal said FIDA Ghana would provide Legal Aid to 100 HIV positive women and members of the Association of Persons Living with HIV and AIDS.
He added that 800 community members in targeted areas would be educated on the legal rights of women affected by the disease in order to enhance their understanding.
Mr Faisal called for support from all stakeholders to make the project a success.
Source: The Ghanaian Times
From Samuel Amoako, Sunyani
