Child rights stakeholders in the Northern Region have reported a significant decrease in early child marriages.
However, they emphasize the importance of continued efforts to eliminate this practice. The issue, often influenced by poverty, cultural, and religious beliefs, persists in some areas.
Recent developments, such as the alleged underage marriage in Nungua, have sparked nationwide concerns, prompting Citi News to conduct an investigation into the matter in other regions.
Hajia Lamnatu Adam, CEO of Songtaba and Northern Regional Convenor for Girls not Bride, stated that while progress has been made, teenage pregnancies continue to be a concern, as many child marriages are a result of these pregnancies.
“Recent figures as compared to what we used to know, we can say we are making some progress. However, underlining factors such as teenage pregnancies continue to change our faith, because many of the child marriages we are seeing are pregnancy-induced marriages. And it’s all because of teenage pregnancies. And so the development partners are working to see how to keep the problem, we as an organisation have worked with communities and have declared them as child marriage-free communities.”
Stakeholders believe that effective law enforcement is crucial in combating child marriage in Ghana and stress that the law should always take precedence over any group’s beliefs.
Dr. Peter Ndonwie, Director of the Pan African Organization for Research and Protection of Violence against Women and Children, highlighted the need for better law enforcement to combat child marriage in Ghana.
He stressed that political leaders should prioritize the protection of children’s rights, as they will become the future leaders of the country.
“The essence was for us to look at the laws and policies which exist in Ghana and that have to be implemented because if an incident of child marriage or child trafficking or whatever abuse of children is taking place, it is because these laws exist but are not well enforced by the institutions responsible for enforcing these laws. So there’s the need for our political leaders to also understand that once these children’s rights are protected, they will become the future leaders of this country.”
Stakeholders call for action against the perpetrators and emphasize the need for accountability and justice in these cases.
————
Explore the world of impactful news with CitiNewsroom on WhatsApp!
Click on the link to join the Citi Newsroom channel for curated, meaningful stories tailored just for YOU: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaCYzPRAYlUPudDDe53x
No spams, just the stories that truly matter! #StayInformed #CitiNewsroom #CNRDigital