Gender ministry marks Int. Day of the Girl Child

As the world marked International Day of the Girl Child on Saturday, October 11, 2014, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) has joined the world in the call for the elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women.

It called for a future in which all girls may freely reach their full potential, free from the fear of discrimination and violence.

This year’s theme: ‘Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence’ recognises the importance of investing in and empowering girls during adolescence: preventing and eliminating all forms of violence directed at them.

In a release signed by the Minister, Nana Oye Lithur to mark the day, it said central to achieving this was putting an end to harmful traditional practices such, as child marriage, which continues to pose a danger to girls across the nation.

To this end, the ministry was embarking on a three-year project with support from the Dutch Government through UNICEF Ghana towards strengthening the country’s child protection system.

The focus of the project is to eliminate child marriage in Ghana.

Statistics

On average, one out of four girls in Ghana will be married before their 18th birthday.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2011), about 27 per cent of the women aged 20-24 were married or in union before age 18.

 While child marriage was common in Ghana, regional disparities are noticed in Upper East which has 39.2 per cent, followed by Western Region 36.7 per cent; Upper West Region 36.3 per cent; Central Region 31.2 per cent; Ashanti Region 30.5 per cent; Volta Region 29.3 per cent; Brong Ahafo Region 29.1 per cent; Northern Region 27.4 per cent; Eastern Region 27.2 per cent and Greater Accra Region 12.2 per cent.

Ghana it said was a nation with one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, and rather than decreasing, evidence indicates that the practice was on the rise.

Human right violation

Child marriage is a human rights violation which infringes on girls’ basic rights to health, education, to live in safety and to choose when and whom they marry.

According to the Gender Ministry, child marriage undermines girls’ economic capacity and puts women and girls at increased risk of sexual, physical and psychological violence throughout their lives.

The gender Ministry said it was critical that as a country, we acknowledge that eliminating child marriage and all other forms of violence against women and girls requires a collective action. We need to mutually commit to end all human rights violations in order to fully develop as a country, as women and girls form a major part of the nation’s human resource. Ending child marriage will help accelerate efforts to achieve a safe, healthy and prosperous future for girls in Ghana.

Saluting other partners

The ministry said it was critical that as a country, “we acknowledge that eliminating child marriage and all other forms of violence against women and girls requires a collective action”.

It said “we need to mutually commit to end all human rights violations in order to fully develop as a country, as women and girls form a major part of the nation’s human resource”.

The Ministry therefore applauded the efforts of civil society organisations, the media, local communities, development partners and individuals who have worked tirelessly towards the elimination of child marriage in Ghana.

It reiterated its commitment to a strong coordinated effort with key stakeholders to champion the total elimination of child marriage and all forms of violence against women and girls to guarantee them a dignified life. 

It also pledge its support to the African Union (AU) in the recently launched campaign against child marriage.