Ghanaian schoolgirls have been banned from crossing a river while they are menstruating - and on Tuesdays. This means the education of girls from the Upper Denkyira East district, in the Central Region, hangs on the balance as they have to cross the river to get to schools. According to BBC, Ghana’s Traditional Chiefs are enforcing the directive from the river god.
The river god also directs that girls should not cross the river on Tuesdays. The move has not augured well with the children right activists. Speaking to the BBC UNICEF’s menstrual hygiene ambassador Shamima Muslim had these to say: “It seems the gods are really powerful aren’t they? Sometimes I think that we need to ask for some form of accountability from these gods who continue to bar a lot of things from happening, to account for how they have used the tremendous power that we have given them.”
The River Ofin serves as a boundary between the Ashanti and Central Region.
Central Regional Minister Kwamena Duncan has given indications he will coordinate with the Ashanti regional minister to find a solution.