Ho Market Paralegals Association launched

The Domestic Violence Secretariat of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has trained 25 leaders at the Ho Central and Ho-Ahoe markets as paralegals.

During their two-day training, the market executives were taken through the domestic violence law, children’s rights, parental responsibilities, women’s rights, marriage and intestate succession laws, as well as child labour issues.

The training, which was supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was followed by the launch of the Ho Market Paralegals Association in the regional capital last Wednesday.

The paralegals are expected to provide counselling on gender-based violence in the market. They are also to look critically at child labour matters to ensure children are protected in the market.

Role models

The Executive Director of the Domestic Violence Secretariat, Malonin Asibi entreated the paralegals to be role models in ensuring law and order in the market. She reminded them to be professional in dealing with issues of domestic violence since such matters were highly sensitive and required confidentiality.

Ms Asibi urged the traders to collaborate with the paralegals to promote high standards of human rights in the market. The paralegals, made up of six men and 19 women, were presented with megaphones to aid their advocacy and sanitisation activities on those concerns in the market.

The Volta Region Director of Gender, Thywill Eyra Kpe, said the market was a huge place with gender-based issues. For that matter, she said officials of the sector ministry would continue to visit the markets to address issues on gender.