Child marriage rate declines in 3 decades

Child marriage rate in Ghana has declined over the last three decades, the Upper West Regional Gender Officer, Charity Baature, has disclosed.

From an initial child marriage percentage rate of 39 per cent in 1993, the country’s child marriage rate currently stands at 19 per cent.

“Unfortunately, the current rate of 19 per cent is not our desired goal as our ambition is to eradicate it completely to safeguard the lives and dignity of Ghanaian young girls,” she said.

Engagement

Ms Baature, who is a Gender Officer at the Department of Gender, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP), was speaking at a day’s engagement with representatives of faith-based organisations (FBOs) on harmful practices, gender and social norms in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

The event, which formed part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, a global campaign aimed at raising awareness and advocating for the prevention of violence against women and girls, focused on addressing critical issues such as gender-based violence and child marriage.

It was organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Anticipation

“We are anticipating that by the year 2030, we should be able to reduce the rate from 19 per cent to 12 per cent and then gradually we progress into five per cent by 2050,” she pointed out.

She stated that the drivers for child marriage were vast, but one of them was poverty, which often pushed adolescent girls into early sexual lives, resulting in teenage pregnancies and their attendant consequences.

She called for the intensification of education on the re-entry policy for pregnant girls to return to school after childbirth, emphasising that such a move would enable girls to complete their education to achieve their goals.

She stated that FBOs had a crucial role to play in tackling the issue of child marriage in the country, saying, “Since we are very religious, religious leaders leading the fight will help deal with the phenomenon”

Steady decline

The Chief Director, Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Micheal Owusu Amoako, said faith leaders played a central role in shaping beliefs, influencing behaviour and guiding the moral direction of our society.

While acknowledging the steady decline in child marriage rates over the years, he expressed concern that the practice still affected approximately one in every five girls under 18 in Ghana.

“Even more concerning are the significant regional disparities, with some districts recording distressingly high prevalence rates.

This persistent injustice continues to rob young girls of their health, education and future opportunities,” he stated.

A Deputy Director, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Richard Obeng Boafo, in a remark, said that with the support of religious leaders, they could build a Ghana where no child is forced into marriage, where faith is a source of liberation, not oppression.

Widespread

The Paramount Chief of the Kuntanase Traditional Area, Barima Ogyeabour Amankwaah Adunan II, who chaired the function, said gender-based violence, including child marriage, was widespread and silently affecting people.

He said they persist because perpetrators were either unaware that they were causing harm to victims or were knowingly inflicting harm on them.

Writer’s email: gilbert.agbey@graphic.com.gh