Child and exchange marriage preventing girls from school in northern Ghana

Child marriage often occurs in the shadows of poverty and gender inequality impeding efforts to empower girls and achieve long-term sustainable development. It is both a symptom and a cause of ongoing development challenge especially in northern Ghana.

The practice further contributes to economic hardships and human rights violations against girls, particularly orphan girls who are deceived and brought from their villages to cities to stay with relatives.  

The Population Reference Bureau’s (2012) Status Report on adolescents and young people in Sub-Saharan Africa shows that Ghana’s youth (between the ages 15 to 24) represent about 20 per cent of its population. Out of the number, about 42 per cent, who are males do not complete Junior High School (JHS). Similarly, 60 per cent of the figure, who are females, did not also complete JHS. This means that a large portion of Ghanaian youth possess limited education and basic literacy and numeracy. Only about 39 per cent of the youth are seeking employment or are employed.

About 25 per cent of young women (between the ages of 20-24) are married and about six per cent of young women have a child by the time they are 19-years of age. It is believed that Ghana‘s national rate of child marriage is about 27 per cent—thus putting the country among the worst 20 or 30 countries in the world with bad record in child marriage.

The Bureau’s (2011) status report states that “Ghana has one of the highest child marriage prevalence rates in the world, showing that one out of four girls will be married before their 18th birthday”.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls will become child brides. Furthermore, of the 140 million girls who will marry before the age of 18, 50 million will be under the age of 15. If nothing is done, according to Girls Not Bridges, an estimated 15.4 million girls will marry each year by 2030.  

Effects of Child and exchange Marriage

Child exchange marriage is an appalling violation of human rights and robs girls of their education, economic opportunities. They (girls) and their families are more likely to live in perpetual poverty which is becoming the norm as with the case of women in northern Ghana. A girl who is married as a child is one whose potential will not be fulfilled.

Most of the girls who are married at tender ages turn to become head porters known popularly as “kayaye” in major towns and cities of the country, particularly in southern Ghana. Because the practice of child marriage is high in most communities in northern Ghana, most of the female “kayaye” in southern Ghana are people who have migrated from northern Ghana; with some of escaping from threats and/or as victims of the practice of child marriage.

It must be noted that because most of these young girls who escape from child marriage threats leave their home communities with little information and skills, many of these girls while on the streets become vulnerable to exploitative labour, commercial sexual exploitation and in some cases, are pursued by family members to return and be given out for marriage.

Many girls in northern Ghana do not complete upper primary because they are either given out to marriage or ran out from early marriage to engage in kayaye to take care of themselves in cities in southern Ghana. This is all done in the name of culture where many northern tribes still hold to the deep rooted socio-cultural practices where marriages are arranged between families or on exchanged basis.

It must be mentioned that many girls have been given out for marriage against their will especially through the exchange system. At times, it is done without the will of the parents. But because the parents are beneficiaries of the exchange system, they simply look on and have no control. Many of our Complementary Basic Education (CBE) learners have suffered under these barbaric and ancient cultural practices.

From Pru, Sene East, Kintampo North and South, Atebubu Amanteng districts to upper West, Northern region, Upper East and some parts of northern Volta, most female CBE learners have not been able to complete the programme because of the exchange marriage practice.

A year ago, we identified some brilliant girls at Bunkpurug and Chereponi and decided to support them in formal school. Unfortunately, two of the girls, one each in the aforementioned districts were given out for marriage through the exchanged system. At chereponi, we engaged the district Education Directorate who met with the parents and elders of the community. It was agreed during the said meeting that the girl in question will be allowed to continue her education. After the team from Ghana Education Service (GES) left, the elders held another meeting and agreed to give out the “poor girl” out for marriage, saying nobody could come to teach them what to do.

Many of these girls join criminal networks while individuals exploit them in begging, street hawking and other street-based activities. Some girls are exploited as drug couriers or dealers or in petty crime such as pick-pocketing or burglary when they get down south.

Prostitution of girls under 18-years of age is another negative effect girls’ who do not go to school get themselves involved in. This is visible in the major cities in Ghana, particularly in major towns and cities. The sad aspect of this is that some of these young girls in prostitution ply their trade at the backyard of security agencies.

Child trafficking is also making it difficult for girls to complete school. Internal trafficking is gaining grounds in most of our major cities. For instance, rural girls especially orphans are cajoled in the name of securing jobs for them in cities to become nannies. Domestic labour constitutes the most common form of child labour for girls under the age of 16.

Benefits of keeping girls in school

Ending the practice of child and exchange marriage is not only the right thing to do; it can also pay enormous dividends for development. Delaying marriage can also increase girls’ and women’s decision making power.

Keeping girls in schools and delaying marriage increase incomes for individuals and advances economic development for nations. It can also contribute to a significant reduction of the rate of divorce due to the fact that adult couples have a better understanding and appreciation of the things girls who have been forced into marriages go through.

Parents also stand to benefit from better bride price payment from a man coming to marry their educated daughter. This benefit is often overlooked.
Solution

It is imprudent for a handful people at the top of an organization to believe that they alone possess the right stuff to get early child marriage issues addressed. It would be like a fighter pilot discounting the value of the ground crew.

Research has shown that when stakeholders have a meaningful opportunity for input on matters that affect them, the likelihood of successful change management increases substantially. So, forget about one-man teams. Inclusion is the name of the game.

The workshops in Accra and other cities engaging ‘well-known people’ to make beautiful speeches regarding early child marriage and factors that affect girls from attending school is not the panacea but grassroots engagement with parents who are confronted with the choice of giving out their children out for marriage because of tradition should be our focus.

Development partners also need to harmonize their projects. For stance, a project on advocacy on early marriage should be implemented along Complementary Basic Education (CBE) and other educational projects. This way, parents get to know the importance of educating their female children and why early marriage or exchange marriage is an ancient system and a bad practice.

The writer, Stephen Konde, is the Northern Regional Northern Regional Coordinator of Plan International.