Promote social norms that reject child marriage - UNFPA urges traditional leaders
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Resident Representative in Ghana, Dr Wilfred Ochan, has urged traditional leaders to promote social norms that discourage child marriage in Ghanaian society.
He called for the need to build a future where girls are not denied their pathways to growth and development of themselves, their families and communities.
“As traditional rulers, you have the power to shape our customs, social norms that will prevent child marriage and guide young girls towards achieving a brighter future for themselves,” he stressed.
Workshop
Dr Ochan was speaking during an engagement with the National House of Chiefs on child marriage and female genital mutilation at Manhyia in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region last Thursday, September 11, 2025.
It was organised by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) in collaboration with the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Office of the Attorney-General and academia, among others.
Its objective was to deepen participants’ understanding of the root causes of child marriage, strengthen prevention and response efforts, and align traditional leadership support with national frameworks to better bridge the gap between law and lived reality.
Continuous engagement
Dr Ochan underscored the need to enhance advocacy against child marriage in line with Ghana’s robust legal architecture and child protection frameworks, together with the strengthening of partnerships for comprehensive community-rooted solutions.
That, he said, could not be achieved without the full ownership and mutual partnership of traditional leaders, stressing, “UNFPA’s experience shows that when chiefs and queenmothers champion women’s and girls’ empowerment, whole communities move”.
“You are the custodians of culture, arbiters of disputes and catalysts of development. You provide structure, preserve order and ensure continuity of lineage, as well as your voices and services reach where policy papers cannot, and where legal enforcements are limited,” he told the chiefs.
Policies
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim, said Ghana had policies and laws aimed at preventing child marriage and other forms of gender-based violence.
However, he said, although Ghana’s problem of child marriage was moderate compared to the regional average of Sub-Saharan Africa, the practice persisted with some traditional leaders implicated as offenders.
The Deputy Commissioner, CHRAJ, Mercy Larbi, called for livelihood and counselling support for victims of gender-based violence to enable them to put their lives together, and said, “As a country, we must make conscious efforts to tackle gender-based violence to protect the lives of people”.
Crusade
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, urged the chiefs to lead the crusade against child marriage and female genital mutilation to safeguard the lives and dignity of girls and women.
