The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA)-Ghana has expressed concern about the practice in some communities where the payment of dowry is used to enslave women.
Speaking at a forum in Accra on Wednesday, the Executive Director of FIDA, Mrs Jane Quaye, indicated that the practice, which was rampant in the three regions of the north, was worrisome since the bride price was sometimes expensive.
The dowry or bride price is an amount of money or property paid by the groom or his family to the parents of a woman upon the marriage of their daughter to the groom.
The property given out or money paid in one cultural setting differs from another. While people in the southern part of Ghana normally demand clothes, money and other material things, the people in the northern parts usually demand cows.
Mrs Quaye said some women were compelled to remain in abusive marriages because of their inability to pay back the dowry, while others who left the marriage remained indebted to the man and his family till they repaid the dowry.
Forum
The forum dubbed �Access to justice� was organised by FIDA-Ghana and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).
It was attended by representatives from the Judicial Service, Police and Department of Social Welfare and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).
The meeting brought together stakeholders to discuss challenges confronting women in accessing justice and other related issues.
The programme was intended to empower women and also promote and protect their human rights through the provision of legal aid and legal education
Difficult access
Speaking on challenges facing women in accessing justice, a Legal Officer at FIDA-Ghana, Mrs Irene Aborchie-Nyahe, said access to justice for women in Ghana was difficult, citing reasons such as high cost, illiteracy, delays and bribery and corruption.
"Most women are financially handicapped and the formal process of acquiring legal aid is expensive�, she said.
The challenges, she said, also forced most women to hide their predicament instead of reporting to officials to deal with the issues.
That, she said, did not promote democracy and the rule of law, and contravenes the various conventions and treaties which Ghana has signed on to.
�State actors including officials from the police service, social welfare and the judicial service must equip themselves with information to enable them to handle cases better� she added.
She urged them to use their mandate and positions to help meet the challenges that women faced and also be gender sensitive in the discharge of their duties.
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