Let us unite to end child marriage, elopement, teenage pregnancy

Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa continue to record some of the world’s highest rates of adolescent pregnancy and child marriage.

Ghana is no exception. In 2014, about 14.2 per cent of adolescent girls had begun childbearing, with 11.3 per cent having given birth and 2.9 per cent pregnant with their first child.

These figures are higher than global adolescent birth rates, which declined from 4.5 per cent in 2000 to 4.25 per cent in 2021, underscoring persistent challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.7 in low- and middle-income countries such as Ghana.

Globally, UNICEF estimates that 640 million girls and women alive today were married before the age of 18.

Nearly half of these child brides live in South Asia, while sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 20 per cent. Alarmingly, the pace of progress remains far too slow.

To meet the SDG target of ending child marriage by 2030, efforts would need to be nearly 20 times faster than current trends.

Marriage before 18 is a gross violation of human rights.

Poverty, harmful traditional practices, gender inequality and limited access to education and health services continue to expose girls to early marriage, elopement and teenage pregnancy.

These practices rob them of education, endanger their health and trap them in cycles of poverty.

The Daily Graphic welcomes recent community-led efforts to address this menace.

As reported in our January 7, 2026 edition, stakeholders in the Sakai community in the Sissala East Municipality of the Upper West Region have introduced by-laws to curb child marriage, elopement and teenage pregnancy.

Under these by-laws, anyone who elopes with a schoolgirl must return her to school and pay a fine of GH¢4,000.

In cases of teenage pregnancy, the offender must ensure the girl continues her education and provide her with the appropriate clothing during pregnancy, while the girl is prohibited from living with the man.

Such local initiatives deserve commendation. However, despite national interventions — including the 2014 Ending Child Marriage Campaign and the National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage in Ghana (2017–2026), alongside policies such as the Children’s Act, the National Gender Policy and the Justice for Children Policy — progress remains limited.

Available data shows that the practice persists, particularly in the northern regions.

According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey, about 19 per cent of girls in Ghana are married before age 18.

This national average masks stark regional disparities, with the Upper West, Upper East, Northern and Savannah regions bearing the heaviest burden.

For The Daily Graphic, this is not merely a women’s issue but a national crisis, a development emergency and a social justice imperative.

Ending child marriage, elopement, and teenage pregnancy requires sustained, coordinated action.

It must be treated as a continuous process, not a one-off event.

We call for intensified community sensitisation through partnerships with traditional authorities, queenmothers, youth leaders, male champions and assembly members.

District-level by-laws must be enforced, with accountability and prosecution where laws are flouted.

Culturally sensitive dialogue is also essential to challenge harmful norms while preserving communal harmony.

We further support the establishment of community-based anti-violence teams to provide early warning systems and rapid response to cases of abuse.

Safe spaces for adolescents should be created to offer mentorship, build confidence and encourage reporting of rights violations.

In this regard, the call by the Head of the Religious Unit of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Richard Obeng Boafo, for religious and traditional leaders to speak out against gender-based violence and child marriage is timely and commendable.

Faith and traditional leaders wield immense influence and must use their pulpits, mosques, shrines and palaces to condemn these practices and promote positive values.

Gender-based violence and child marriage are not abstract concepts; they are harsh realities affecting countless lives.

Ghana can and must build a society where no child is forced into marriage and where culture and faith serve as tools of liberation, not oppression. Let us unite — government, communities, faith leaders and civil society — to protect our children and secure the nation’s future.