Ghana women in Northern region bribe husbands for sex

Some young women in polygamous marriages in the Northern Region have revealed that they are using cigarettes, cola nuts, or meals to lure their husbands to have sex with them.

This has compelled many men, especially in the rural Northern Region, to marry more than one to receive abundant gifts from their wives before satisfying their sexual needs.

These were revealed on Tuesday, during a workshop for management staff of organisations and business owners, organised by Action Aid Ghana on Life Choices and Livelihoods of Young Women.

The workshop discussed challenges young women face in accessing Decent Work; Women’s Rights at the Work Place; Human Rights; Law on Employment; Employment Contracts, the Labour Act, among others.

Some of the young wives, who spoke on anonymity, explained that they are not happy in their marriages because they have to provide their husbands’ needs before they visited their beds.

They however said they could not quit because of their children.

“My husband smokes and any time I need sex then I have to provide a pack of cigarette before he will accept to sleep with me, said one of them.

“If I don’t have money to satisfy his needs it means I will be starved sexually while my rivals who provide his needs are treated better”.

A former Minister of Women and Children, in the erstwhile Kufuor Administration,,Hajia Alima Mahama who facilitated the workshop said it was sad that people were still engaging in polygamy in an era where meeting the needs of the family was a challenging one.

She therefore called on NGOs to work together towards seeking solutions to the problem.

She also advised women not to accept marriages just to become wives, when their happiness would not be guaranteed.

Action Aid Ghana is implementing a project in the peri-urban areas of Tamale and Accra called, ‘Young Urban Women: Life Choices and Livelihood’. It is aimed at ensuring that some 2,000 young women living in poverty would have more economic independence and control over their bodies.

Miss Melody Azinim, the Young Urban Women Project Officer, said the project aimed at equipping the young women with employable skills for decent work, and to empower them to be more assertive in defending their sexual reproductive health rights.