A total of 120 Traditional Council Registrars have attended a training workshop to deepen their understanding of gender-based violence, and harmful practices, including child marriages, and how they can support to end them in their areas. The day's training, organised by the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was facilitated using the National Framework for Engaging Traditional Authorities and the Child Marriage Updated Toolkit. Participants, being the first cohort of the training, were drawn from eight regions namely Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Ahafo, Bono and Bono East. Dr Richard Obeng Boafo, Head, Religious Affairs Unit, Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, speaking during the training, said it was for participants to imbibe positive attitudes towards gender-based violence, uphold values and be able to refer cases of abuse, which were beyond their powers, to the appropriate authorities for am icable redress. Dr Boafo said the Ministry had conducted a risks review of the harmful cultural and religious practices and had identified child marriage and exploitation of the vulnerable, especially women and children, hence the training to equip the Registrars to help handle such cases in their areas. Madam Alhassan Bushira, Acting Northern Regional Director of the Department of Gender, described the training as strategic and timely, saying most of the gender-based violence cases in the communities were first reported to the traditional authorities. She said the training would enable the participants to support their chiefs to fight issues of child marriages and other harmful socio-cultural practices. Mr Iddrisu Adam Afuli, Assistant Registrar at the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, who was a participant, commended the Ministry and the UNFPA for the training and assured them that the participants would be committed to supporting the chiefs in combating child marriages and harmful cultural practices i n their areas. Source: Ghana News Agency