The International Federation of Women Lawyers -Ghana, (FIDA-Ghana), has appealed to the National House of Chiefs to eliminate all outmoded traditional customs.

FIDA-Ghana, particularly, called on Togbe Afede XIV, President, National House of Chiefs, to lead the process in evaluating traditional customs and usages to eliminate customs that amounted to torture, and were socially harmful resulting in the threat to the liberty and security of women and girls.

It said the role of the National House of Chiefs in eliminating harmful traditional practices was rooted in Article 272 (c) of the Constitution of Ghana, which provided that the National House of Chiefs shall "undertake an evaluation of traditional customs and usages with a view to eliminating those customs and usages that are outmoded and socially harmful".

It said both the Constitution and international law gave the National House of Chiefs "carte blanche to overturn cruel and inhumane traditions and ultimately to modify customs that are a clear breach of the realization of the human rights of women and girls."

"This is the only way to stop the recurring traditional incidents of harm and sometimes death against women and children in Ghana, " FIDA-Ghana said in a statement signed by Ms Afua Adotey, FIDA President and copied to the Ghana News Agency.

The appeal of FIDA-Ghana, come against the backdrop of the recent lynching of the 90-year old Madam Akua Denteh in the Savannah Region, who was accused of being a witch.

It said the general condemnation of the atrocious lynching of Madam Denteh was an indication of the nation's abhorrence of such practices.

However, the reality of the situation was that it could happen again, and so the country needed to halt "this age old practice which is replete with multiple rights violations."

"The stigma of being in witch camps where young girls who accompany older women to the camps are unable to progressively attain physical, mental and social development to their fullest potential, calls for an intensive scrutiny of our customs and usages," the organisation said.

It said there had been regular reported incidents of dehumanising customary practices and usages.

The organisation opined that the issue of witch camps had been a stain on Ghana's human rights records, which had also gained the attention of the global community as the country's periodic reports to the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) committee had been flagged up always and recommended to Ghana to modify "this dehumanizing cultural practice against women and girls".

FIDA said the State had an obligation to protect its citizens, as pointed out in Article 26 of the Constitution, which prohibits all customary practices that dehumanised or were injurious to the physical and mental wellbeing of a person.

The organisation said the State alone could not deal effectively with the situation, saying it acknowledged that a number of traditional rulers had taken bold steps to eliminate some local harmful traditional practices against women and children.

However, it said, a comprehensive exercise as envisioned by the Constitution had not been done.

"Indeed the Ministry of Chieftaincy in collaboration with the National House of Chiefs conducted a similar exercise a few years ago in some communities but the finished work was not published," FIDA-Ghana said.