Speaking before the Parliamentary Committee on Local Government, the MCE expressed concern over the increasing rate of child marriages in the municipality, attributing the trend to entrenched cultural practices that conflict with national laws.

Mr. Adam disclosed that in September, one offender was sentenced to five years in prison for engaging in the act, a move he said demonstrates the Assembly’s determination to curb the practice.

“We will sustain this effort until the situation is brought under control,” he stated.

He lamented that child marriage continues to negatively impact the education and wellbeing of young girls in the municipality.

The MCE also highlighted the dire shortage of teachers in Gushegu, revealing that in many schools, a single teacher handles multiple classes simultaneously, making teaching and learning ineffective.

Source: AdomOnline

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Child marriage, often detrimental to the girl-child, has over the years inhibited the growth potential of affected girls, shutting down their dreams of becoming better versions of themselves and contributing meaningfully to family life and societal development.

Madam Saphia Tamimu, the Director in charge of the Child Marriage Unit at the Ministry, told journalists during an engagement on the “Child Marriage Portal” that adolescent pregnancies continued to drive child marriages in communities.

She indicated that in Ghana, over two million girls were victims of this repulsive cultural practice, contributing to the high poverty cycle along the chain.

She said despite the legal and policy environment to stop the practice, there was still cause for concern, and “this is the foremost reason for creating the Child Marriage Portal, to share information with stakeholders for more stringent interventions to end the practice by 2030.”

The Portal, created in 2021 with the domain www.cm.mogcsp.gov.gh, is funded by the UNFPA and is security certified to provide real-time data and information on the practice as well as allow direct feedback.

Madam Tamimu said Ghana was hoping to have zero child marriages by 2030, but it would require greater efforts from all, particularly male counterparts who were the perpetrators of the act.

“Girls cannot become brides until the stipulated age of marriage. What they need from society now is care, books, pens, and study assistance, not inappropriate behavior,” she emphasized.

The practice, Madam Tamimu said, had resulted in many unplanned pregnancies, which also put the health of the girls at greater risk.

Mr. Senanu Agbozo, the Consultant for the Portal, said the Portal presented aggregated information on the practice for all stakeholders to use.

This would help promote issues and discussions on the subject, advance policy advocacy, and develop preventive measures aimed at achieving the SDGs Goal 5.

Dr. Sampson Appiah, the Editorial Committee Head for the Portal, encouraged journalists to write short, relevant, and accurate stories on the child marriage situation for input into the Portal.

He acknowledged the effectiveness of the media in driving the needed change on the current situation and contributing to achieving the 2030 goal.

The Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection also has toll-free numbers: 0800111222, 0800800800, and 0800900900 for complaints and other official inquiries on gender-based activities.

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She emphasized the urgency of intensifying efforts to end the practice, as the deadline set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to eliminate child marriage by 2030 is approaching.

Hajia Tamimu made the call during a media engagement on the Child Marriage Information Portal in Accra.

The portal, www.cm.mogcsp.gov.gh, launched on September 29, 2021, serves as a comprehensive database on child marriage in Ghana.

Developed by the Domestic Violence Secretariat in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the portal provides easy access to information on child marriage, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), and related issues through an open-source system.

The Child Marriage Information Portal easily shares information on child marriage, SGBV, and related issues in an open-source format, accessible with a simple click.

Hajia Tamimu noted that despite the existence of legal and policy frameworks aimed at reducing child marriage, the practice remains widespread.

She also noted that the current prevalence of child marriage in Ghana stands at 19 percent.

According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census Thematic Brief on Childhood Vulnerabilities in Ghana, over 120,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 were either married or living with a partner.

Hajia Tamimu shared that in 2024, the Child Marriage Unit rescued about 13 girls, six of whom are back in school, while the others are participating in economic empowerment programs.

She stressed the importance of engaging the media to spread awareness about child marriage in Ghana, encouraging stakeholders to contribute content to the Child Marriage Information Portal.

While acknowledging progress, Hajia Tamimu called for intensified efforts from stakeholders to ramp up awareness campaigns.

She also mentioned that the Ministry, among other initiatives, had engaged traditional and religious leaders, with some pledging their commitment to help combat child marriage.

Mr. Senanu Agbozo, Consultant for the Child Marriage Information Portal at UNFPA, highlighted the economic benefits of ending child marriage, including increased productivity and the economic empowerment of women, which could help eliminate poverty.

He said the portal serves as a tool to track progress and enhance efforts to end child marriage by 2030.

The portal also provides a resource for media and other stakeholders to access and share information on child marriage.

Mr. Agbozo added that users could report child marriage cases through the portal, which is linked to the Orange Support Center for immediate action.

Mr. Samson Obed Appiah, Chairman of the Editorial Committee for the portal, explained that contributions should be relevant, concise, factual, and verifiable.

He stressed the importance of ensuring that the stories respect ethnicity, gender, locality, religion, and race to avoid stereotypes.

Mr. Appiah underscored the need to protect the privacy and anonymity of victims.

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The proposals were the outcome of the Zonal Conferences for Traditional and Religious Leaders and Media Stakeholders in Ghana.

Themed “Pathways to Ghana’s Progress: Addressing Legislative Gaps in Child Marriage and Customary Laws,” the group convened in the Northern Zone on November 20, 2024,  and the Southern Zone on December 3, 2024. 

The conferences brought together traditional and religious leaders, media stakeholders, government officials, youth advocates, and civil society organisations to address the pervasive issue of child marriage in Ghana.

Participants acknowledged the importance of collective action to end child marriage and promote the rights of children in Ghana. 

The participants among other things established that legislation should hold parents, participants, and sponsors of child marriages accountable with strict penalties.

Girls Not Brides Ghana and conference participants recognised education as a powerful tool for personal development and social transformation, capable of delaying child and forced marriages.

They urged the Government of Ghana to address legislative gaps, build synergies between  customary and national laws, align with international standards, and implement strong enforcement mechanisms. 

The conference emphasised the importance of collective action in ending child marriage and promoting children’s rights in Ghana.

Participants  committed to holding themselves accountable for implementing the resolutions and action points outlined in this communiqué. 

The communiqué was adopted on December 3, 2024, at the Miklin Hotel, East Legon. 

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Below is the full communiqué on the pathways:

They also issued a stern warning to perpetrators of this illegality, which often leads to Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), teenage pregnancies, and other harmful cultural practices that contribute to the increased rate of female school dropouts, health complications, and entrenched poverty among women and young girls.

The Council stated it would combat this menace through education, advocacy, legal, and other legitimate means, vowing that their resolution would remain valid until the objectives were achieved.

Okofo Okatakyi Nyarkoh Eku X, the Paramount Chief of the Agona Nyakrom Traditional Area, declared, “We will ensure that any child who is below 18 years will not enter into marriage, and anyone who acts contrary to undermine the resolution of the Council will face serious consequences.”

He made this declaration at a durbar at his seat in the Agona Nyakrom palace, which crowned a two-day workshop organized by the Obaapa Development Foundation, a non-governmental organization focused on women’s development, with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ghana, the UN’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Agency.

The event was part of national efforts to empower traditional and religious leaders, as well as the public, to end child marriages in Ghana.

Okofo Nyarkoh Eku stated that the Council would not take lightly any parliamentary agreement or attempts to deter them from conforming to their customary mandate and rights as a traditional council.

The Paramount Chief, referencing the numerous dangers of child marriage, emphasized the need for urgent collaboration with stakeholders, including school heads, families, the police, the Ghana Education Service, and the Ghana Health Service to mitigate this issue.

He condemned the practice of parents throwing their pregnant daughters out of their homes to cohabit with the men responsible for their pregnancies, arguing that such acts fuel child marriages.

Following this declaration, Halima Saadia Yakubu, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, led members of the Council in an open pledge to fight all harmful practices against children, especially girls, and to create a community where every child can reach their full potential.

Dr. Wilfred Ochan, the Resident Representative of UNFPA, commended the Traditional Council for taking the bold decision to advocate for the rights of young people.

He noted that child marriage remains a significant problem in Ghana, indicating that the prevalence of marriage by age 15 has stalled at about five percent over the last ten years, without any visible improvement.

The workshop included over 40 participants, including chiefs and queen mothers from Swedru and Agona Nyakrom in the Agona West Municipal District of the Central Region, providing a platform for knowledge sharing and education on existing laws and sanctions against perpetrators of these human rights violations.

Experts at the workshop informed traditional leaders about the effects of early and child marriage, as well as related issues including SGBV, teenage pregnancy, and various health complications.

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The report indicated that out of the 1,014 children who were involved in early marriage, 43 per cent were boys while 57 per cent were girls. The report further showed that the Nkwanta-North District had the highest incidence of child marriages, accounting for 27.3 per cent of the 3,728 cases across the eight municipal and district assemblies in the region while the Guan District had the lowest cases (79 cases, representing 2.1 per cent).

The Head of the Gender Department at the Oti Regional Coordinating Council (ORCC), Esther Hammond, explained to the Daily Graphic that while some of the child marriages involved adult men and under-aged girls, there were other cases where boys were either married to girls or in cohabitation.

She described the spate of early marriages in the Nkwanta North District and the region as worrying because it was detrimental to the overall development of the children. Ms Hammond said apart from poor health outcomes, early marriages increased risks of maternal and child mortality, entrenched gender inequality, disrupted education and deepened the vicious cycle of poverty.

“The situation is so serious because it has deprived girls of the right to education. Although the government has a policy on re-entry that allows girls to get back to school after childbirth, it affects them mentally, and some of them drop out of school again,” she said.

Context

Despite global and national efforts to eliminate child marriages and other harmful practices, it remains a daunting challenge, particularly impacting the lives of young girls. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) estimates that over 12 million girls worldwide are married before the age of 18.

In Ghana, recent data highlights the urgency of the issue, with the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC) revealing that 79,733 girls aged 12 to 17 years were married or living with a partner.

This situation is particularly prevalent in regions such as the North-East, Northern, Savannah, Upper West, Upper East and Oti, where factors such as adolescent pregnancy contribute significantly to the high incidence of child marriage.

To help reverse the increasing spate of child marriages in the Nkwanta North District, the Department of Gender at the ORCC, with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), started stakeholder engagement.

A consultative meeting was held with community leaders on how to prevent child marriage and other harmful cultural practices in the district last week. The consultative meeting brought together 72 participants made up of chiefs, opinion leaders, heads men, religious leaders, assembly members, women groups, youth groups and other stakeholders.

The participants were drawn from six communities — Nabu, Abunyanya, Danladi, Kabonwule, Koni and Najingon. The forum was meant to raise awareness of the negative effects of child marriage, deepen the understanding of its local drivers, and equip community leaders with the knowledge and tools needed to advocate policy changes and local interventions.

Collective action

Ms Hammond said engagement with the stakeholders was meant to jointly develop tailored action plans to tackle child marriage in the district. “The consultative workshop, organised by the Department of Gender with support from the UNFPA, represents a vital step in our collective efforts to end child marriage.

We have the unique opportunity to empower community leaders to become agents of change, ensuring the protection and well-being of our children,” she said. She told the Daily Graphic that participants at the meeting had resolved to set up child protection committees and also work closely with school authorities at the basic level to address the triggers of child marriages.

Ms Hammond said she was optimistic that when the stakeholders worked together, they could create a future where every child was free from the threat of early marriage to pursue their dreams and aspirations.

Collaboration

The Regional Director of Social Welfare for the Oti Region, Innocent Komla Agbolosu, reminded the stakeholders about the rights of the child, especially the girl child.

He asked them to extend public education about children’s rights and responsibilities to all members of the community.

Mr Agbolosu also advised parents to provide the necessities of life for their children as expected by law so that they grow into responsible citizens.

Again, he urged parents to instil a sense of responsibility in their children even as everything possible was done to protect their rights.

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According to data from the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), the number of people who were married as minors fell from 206,633 in 2010 to 130,814 in 2021.

That means there has been a 75,819 decline. This shows a 36.6% drop from 2010 to 2021. In 2010, the number of girls was 112,089, while the number of males was 94,554. Boys made up 45.8% of the children in unions, while girls made up 54.2% in 2010.

The number of females fell from 112,089 to 79,733 while the number of boys fell from 94,554 to 51,081 in 2021. In age distribution, the data indicated that those who were 17 years old had the highest percentage of children in marital unions, with over 31,000 in number.

Additionally, in 2021, the proportion of men to women who were involved in child marriage was 39.0% for men and 61.0% for women. Despite the drop, GSS indicated that as of 2021, children aged 12 to 15 years in marital partnerships are five times the capacity of Legon Sports Stadium.

Furthermore, over 100,000 children were in a union in 2021, despite a reduction in the number and percentage of children who had ever been in a union over the previous 10 years.

Though the national rate decreased by nearly half during the intercensal period, the number of child marriages rose in five regions (Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, and Upper West) between 2010 and 2021.

The North East region has the greatest rate of child marriage among all regions, with one in every 10 youngsters aged 12 to 17 years engaging in a marital union.

In Ghana, a National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage (2017–2026) was created in 2016. The goal of several policies, including the Gender Policy (2015), the Justice for Children Policy (2016), and the Child and Family Welfare Policy (2015), is to continue reducing the number of child marriages.

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Addressing the issue on JoyNews’ The Probe, Mr. Boateng clarified that the event captured in a circulating video was actually a traditional rite, not a marriage ceremony as initially portrayed.

He explained, “During the event, a lot of things were said, and the information came out as if they were marrying the girl to the Wulomo [Gborbu Wulomo Nuumo Borketey Laweh XXXIII].”

In response to public concern, Mr. Boateng disclosed that his Ministry, in collaboration with the Gender Ministry and the Attorney General’s office, swiftly engaged with the traditional authorities of Nungua and the Ga priest involved in the ceremony.

Through these discussions, it was established that there were no intentions of engaging in carnal relations with the young girl, emphasizing the paramount importance of her welfare.

Taking decisive action, Mr. Boateng and his team coordinated with the police to ensure the safe removal of the minor from the Nungua Community.

As investigations into the matter progress, Mr. Boateng has pledged to collaborate closely with law enforcement agencies and local communities to ensure justice and accountability prevail.

Additionally, Mr. Boateng refuted claims that the girl involved was only 12 years old, asserting that she is, in fact, 16 years old, as opposed to initial reports.

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According to the office, Naa Okromo is one of the special children chosen by the Gborbu deity to dedicate their lives to serving the god.

Speaking at a press conference on April 2, Director of Administration at the Office, Rev. Dr. Daniel Nii Gyasi Ankrah clarified that Naa Okromo is to occupy the stool of Naa Yoomo Ayemuede.

This role, he said can only be occupied by an indigene of Nungua and individuals of a particular lineage.

“Naa Yoomo Ayemuede is one of the four roles played by indigenes of Nungua of peculiar heritage and ancestry from time immemorial. The title Naa Yoomo Ayemuede goes with appellation Wodekoyo.

“The Gborbu deity has four traditional and religious wives in Nungua alone and they are Naa Ashi3ley, Naa Ohimia, Naa Bosuafi and the final one is Naa Yoomo Ayemuede,”he said.

He said the Naa Yoomo will assist the priest to perform the special rites for the Gborbu deity.

Rev. Ankrah said Naa Yoomo’s roles include ceremonies to usher in the Homowo celebration for the Ga- Adangbe state, to feed all deities at the cardinals of the rocks situated in Nungua, and she is considered the mother of all priests and priestesses in Nungua.

He continued that she is also responsible for carrying the corn wine to the town square for praises and thanksgiving to God almighty. Additionally, she is responsible for cleaning and ablution of the Gborbu Temple during the Homowo festival. Furthermore, she is responsible for the Ayemo3de deity and Shade’ deity, which is purely performed by a virgin.

“We would like to emphasise that there is no carnal relationship or marriage involved as perceived by many, he stressed.

Rev. Ankrah added that the other wives to the deity have their own respective legal husbands.

He clarified that the items presented on Saturday were not the usual items presented during marriage rites but rather to aid Naa Yoomo Ayemuede to carry out her traditional duties.

Again, he stressed that roles like Naa Yoomo’ spiritual consultations are required and individuals from a particular home are selected for such roles.

He stressed that after the death of the previous occupant over 300 years ago, it fell upon Naa Okromo, who was prophesied by her birth to take up the mantle as Queen.

“Naa Okromo remained in her mother’s womb for two years before her birth. Through the interventions of the Gborbu deities she was delivered and consecrated. She sat without walking for two years, and through divine intervention, consultations to Gborbu diety she could walk.

“This makes her a mystery child. She has been preserved to maintain her virginity till now to assume her role Naa Yoomo Ayemuede which she begun 6 years ago,” he said.

He stressed that the event that unfolded on Saturday saw some excesses, including verbal misrepresentation and other exaggerations by some people who took over the microphone after the actual MC was done with the presentation.

He stressed that “The overlord of the Ga-Adangbe state will for no reason attempt to violate the constitution of the republic which over the years he has expressed and shown by way of his actions and defended.”

Also, Wor Lumo Boni Nuumo Noi Osekan Kpeneku said Naa Yoomo was not married to the Gborbu Wulomo.

“The girl in question is actually sixteen years old. We accept and agree that by the constitution of the land she is under-aged, but she is not married to the Gborbu Wulomo as it is being stated. That is not the issue,” he added.

This follows an announcement by the Police that the girl and her mother are under their protection following the ceremony on Saturday.

Addressing a press briefing on Tuesday, the Director of Administration, Rev Dr Daniel Nii Gyasi Ankrah emphasised Naa Okromo is their royal, stating so far as they are concerned her safety is in the hands of the Police.

“The statement from the police is that the young lady who is our queen is under police protection. Therefore if the police have remarked that she is under police protection, where again do you want to find her.

“But we are telling the world that she is our royal and if the police are saying that they are taking care of her, then the police must be reminded that whatever happens to her, then traditionally we will deal with the police,” he told journalists.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has said it is collaborating with the Gender Ministry to provide the necessary support while the matter is being investigated.

Nuumo Borketey Laweh XXXIII, known as the Gborbu Wulomo was lambasted after a video of the marriage rites went viral online.

Despite attempts to justify the union by stating that the girl wouldn’t be expected to fulfill marital obligations, there have been calls for the priest and all persons that supervised the ceremony to be arrested and jailed.

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The Commission has condemned these cultural practices describing them as illegal, unconstitutional, and inappropriate for a democratic nation like Ghana.

In a statement issued on April 2, the NCCE urged the Nungua Traditional Council to modify its traditional practices to comply with the laws and the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

“The NCCE wishes to remind the Ga Traditional Council that the Children’s Act, Act 560 of 1998, Section 13, (1&2) provides that “The minimum age of marriage of whatever kind shall be eighteen years”. It is also worth pointing out that the same section of the Children’s Act says that “No person shall force a child (a) to be betrothed; (b) to be the subject of a dowry transaction; or (c) to be married”. While the Nungua Traditional Council contends that this union is voluntary, it is unclear to the NCCE how a pre-pubescent, pre-teen minor can consent to such an arrangement,” the statement read.

“The 1992 Constitution of Ghana recognizes and even encourages Ghana’s many ethnic groups to practice and extol their culture. However, the Commission calls on the Nungua Traditional Council to note that the same 1992 Constitution, in Article 39 also states that “…… traditional practices which are injurious to the health and well-being of the person are abolished”. Furthermore, for over a century, our courts have held that traditional practices contrary to “natural justice, equity, and good conscience” are outlawed.”

The NCCE also called on the National and Regional Houses of Chiefs, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, and the Department of Social Welfare to intervene and ensure that the child’s best interests are safeguarded and child marriages are eradicated from customary practices.

Read full statement below:

2^nd April, 2024

For Immediate Release

PRESS STATEMENT

ENSURE TRADITIONAL/CULTURAL PRACTICES ARE IN SYNC WITH THE LAWS AND 1992 CONSTITUTION OF GHANA – NCCE

The National Commission for Civic Education, NCCE is appalled by the recent announcement by the Nungua Traditional Council that, a 12-year-old girl has been betrothed to a 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo of Nungua, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII. The Commission wishes to express concern about this development and emphasizes that cultural practices that are illegal and unconstitutional have no place in our democracy.

The NCCE wishes to remind the Ga Traditional Council that the Children’s Act, Act 560 of 1998, Section 13, (1&2) provides that “The minimum age of marriage of whatever kind shall be eighteen years”. It is also worth pointing out that the same section of the Children’s Act says that “No person shall force a child (a) to be betrothed; (b) to be the subject of a dowry transaction; or (c) to be married”. While the Nungua Traditional Council contends that this union is voluntary, it is unclear to the NCCE how a pre-pubescent, pre-teen minor can consent to such an arrangement.

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana recognizes and even encourages Ghana’s many ethnic groups to practice and extol their culture. However, the Commission calls on the Nungua Traditional Council to note that the same 1992 Constitution, in Article 39 also states that “…… traditional practices which are injurious to the health and well-being of the person are abolished”. Furthermore, for over a century, our courts have held that traditional practices that are contrary to “natural justice, equity, and good conscience” are outlawed.

The NCCE urges the Nungua Traditional Council to review its traditional practices to bring them in line with the laws and 1992 Constitution of Ghana, and to refrain from actions that may have a negative impact on the youth of Nungua.

The Commission also calls for the intervention of the National and Regional Houses of Chiefs, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection as well as the Department of Social Welfare to ensure that the best interests of the child are protected and child marriages are removed from our customary practices.

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana and Make Our Great and Strong!!

(SIGNED)

KATHLEEN ADDY (MS.)

CHAIRMAN, NCCE

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The data said out of the total number, 25,999 girls between the ages of 12 to 14 fell within the Junior High School age category.

It said the regions with the highest percentage of girls were the Northeast Region with thirteen percent, Savannah Region with 10.9 percent and the Northern Region with 10.6 percent.

 All the regions mentioned in the report had rates more than twice the national average, which was four percent.

According to a 2017 report by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), Child marriage disproportionally affected the girl child more than boys. Only two percent of boys aged twenty to twenty-four years were married before age eighteen as compared to twenty-one percent of girls.

The Ministry identified poverty, illiteracy/low formal education, cultural beliefs, religion, teenage pregnancy and geographical setting as the major causative and contributory factors to the prevalence of child marriage in the country.

Girls from the rural areas, according to the MoGCSP factsheet, were more likely to become child brides than their counterparts living in the urban settings.

Also, girls from economically impoverished backgrounds were four times more likely to be married off in their early teens than those from wealthy backgrounds.

The report said uneducated or low educated girls were more likely to be married early than girls who received a senior-high school education or higher.

Experts say teenage pregnancies are viewed as shameful or an embarrassment to the family, hence many girls are forced into early marriage to save what is commonly referred to as the “family honour”.

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Speaking in an interview with Adom News Correspondent Odehyeba Owusu Job during a Monitoring and Sensation of Community Parents Advocacy (CoPAGS) at Kpeyiborme in the South Dayi Municipality of the Volta Region to stop child marriage in the community and Ghana at large, the Volta Regional Director of Gender, Children and Social, Mrs Thywill Eyra Kpe, called on parents and other stakeholders to support all initiatives to end child marriage.

According to her, “No girl child must be married before 18 years, she has the dream to be who she wants to be. As a nation, we should ensure that both the boy child and the girl child are allowed equal opportunity to education, it is not a society of only men.” 

Educating the girl child, according to her, was critical to the development of a nation and that to be able to solve the problems affecting the girl child, there was the need for everybody to work together to end child marriage in the country.

As part of the initiative, the Assemblyman for Todome Kpalime Electoral Area, Senaya Eric, also in an interview with Adom News, said the issue of child marriage had denied the girl child the opportunity to education, and also affected her health.

He said through the support of the government and civil society, Ghana would be able to eradicate child marriage by investing in education, engaging in dialogue with young girls, and through the commitment of the Gender Ministry, the country would lead the way in fighting and eradicating child marriage.

He, therefore, encouraged stakeholders to invest in the girl child by educating her to appreciate the implications of child marriage and to help girls to be responsible to contribute to national development.

Finally, some of the community members who participated in the program also seized the opportunity to appeal to the government to help provide some basic items such as sanitary pads to the girl child in schools to help them focus on their education.

According to the residents, most of the Girls drop out of school and go into early Child Marriage because, their parents are not able to provide them with some basic needs such as sanitary pads to keep them in the school and therefore drop out of school into early Child Marriage and therefore calling on the government to support the Girl Child in the schools.

The 2009 marriage generated much criticisms among child rights activists at the time but Mr Yerima insists he did not contravene any Nigerian law.

He stunned many Nigerians when he allegedly paid $100,000 to the bride’s family.

Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the ex-governor defended his decision, saying he never did anything wrong.

According to him, there is no society in the country that has an age bracket before marriage can take place.

The senator explained that the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) which initially wanted to try him was forced to drop the case because he did nothing wrong.

“There is no law in Nigeria that determines when and how you get married. Muslims have Sharia, the Christians I don’t know what their doctrines say,” he said.

“If I had done anything wrong, I would have been tried in court. NAPTIP wanted to try the case and they dropped the matter because I didn’t do anything wrong.

“Whatever you are doing, if you are ignorant of the law, then you are bound to have problems. Once you do anything according to law, you don’t have a problem in any society.”

When asked if he would consider marrying a minor again, he neither replied in an affirmative nor negative tone.

Rather, he said that under Sharia law, there are some criteria that will be followed before any marriage would take place.

He insisted that his decisions would always be backed by the law as he would never be caught doing anything unlawful.

The APC chieftain promised to turn around the fortunes of Nigeria should he clinch the APC’s ticket ahead of the 2023 general elections.

According to her, apart from hardship, cultural backgrounds and other known factors, some religious leaders have resorted to verses in the Quran and the Bible to justify the essence of child marriage.

Though she did not emphatically state any name, she noted her outfit realised this during a sensitisation programme at Damango in the Savannah Region.

“We all know child marriage is illegal under the constitution and the country is fighting to eliminate it but now some religious leaders who are for this bad practice are quoting scriptures to make their point strong,” she said.

A situation she described as worrying and needs to be tackled as quickly as possible before it gets out of hands.

“If you go to such people with the law, it may backfire because it is the constitution against religion and cultural believes. There should be a forum and get same scholars from both religions to counter them with scriptures to help deal with the situation,” she added.

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She made the disclosure when World Vision Ghana and Girls not Brides-Ghana held a forum to undertake data Harmonisation on Child Marriage.

Meanwhile, she has appealed to Civil Society Organisations to champion the course against child marriage as there is still a growing trend of the menace.

She described the situation as very worrying that needs collaborative efforts from all stakeholders to fight.

Mrs Asare attributed the rise in child marriage to economic hardship created by the pandemic and shut down of schools.

”After the girls have gotten pregnant, their families in order to avoid disgrace from peers, go and dump their girls on the man who impregnated them,“she said.

The World Vision Campaign Coordinator cited Krachi, where over 50 cases of teenage pregnancies have been recorded from May to June as an example.

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She was speaking at a forum to help form a media coalition to intensify education against child marriage.

Additionally, she cautioned parents to desist from giving out teen children for marriage, insisting it is punishable by law.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Morning Show to mark the International Women’s Day Wednesday, Madam Osei said the responsibility to halt child marriages across the country must begin with each everyone.

According to her, the core factors that root up the gesture such as culture, pornography, ‘galamsey’, fishing among others can be countered if citizens try to educate each other at all levels other than relying on government.

“The solution must come from all of us and the change must take effect.  Government needs to do more in terms of initiatives and skills. We also have a responsibility beyond govt. The change has to start with us,” she said.

“Child marriage is a national disgrace. It’s definitely more in the regions up north about 32 percent. Western region is about 46 percent. The stats are embarrassing. It’s collective shame…” she said.

“We should all care a little bit about the people around us and not wait on the government and police to solve all the problems around us. Let’s educate ourselves to know that forceful marriage would disable our contribution to society” she added.

Source: Ghana / Adomonline.com / Dennis Kofi Adu