Deputy Speaker of the House of Peoples’ Representatives honorable Shitaye Minale urged that all stakeholders should exert maximum efforts to weed out the negative impact of harmful traditional Practices on Women.

Honorable Deputy Speaker remarked this in her Keynote address while opening a two-day Capacity building training workshop entitled “Harmful Traditional Practices on Women” Organized by Women Campaign International and the House for Parliamentarians Conducted on 16 Nov. 2007 in the Premises of the Parliament.

She indicated in her speech that women encountered physical and psychological pains in addition to economic and social marginalization due to the harmful traditional Practices Prevailed stressing weeding out problems, and enforcing laws and follow-up their implementation to ensure the benefits of women in all sectors is the over riding Objective and responsibility of the parliament.

Speaking that woman undergone through Vigorous hardships to weed out harmful traditional practices with no legal provisions to sustain their struggle, Shetaye underscored that the constitution and its prominent forces support to get rid of harmful Practices and ensure gender equality and women’s rights.

She explained that in addition to the constitution that gives guarantee to woman’s rights, Ethiopia has ratified international conventions that help to uproot harmful Practices. However, she underpinned that the existence of laws alone doesn’t safeguard rights but needs concerted efforts from all stakeholders especially from Parliamentarians.

W/ro Shetaye reaffirmed that the House has planned to carry out intensive Capacity building and awareness raising activities this fiscal year to help parliamentarians accomplish duties and responsibilities.

The training work shop focuses on issues of fistula, young girls’ drop-out cases, sexual harassment and HIV/AIDS with reflective discussions on the topics to be imparted by presenters invited.