Traditional, religious leaders urged to champion fight against child marriage 

Traditional and religious leaders, as custodians of culture, have been advised to be actively involved in reshaping societal norms around marriage and puberty.

This is because traditional and religious leaders need to be deeply invloved because child marriage, which affects girls a lot more, is deeply rooted in customs and traditions where more often than not, there is a practice of equating puberty with readiness for marriage.

Thus  religious communities and traditional leaders are uniquely positioned to prevent and respond to the call to end child marriage;

A Legal Practitioner, Kezia Peace Kenneth Azumah, who made the call, said:  “In many communities, the onset of menstruation signals that a girl is now an adult, irrespective of her emotional or psychological readiness. 

“This narrow view reduces girls to their reproductive roles, undermining their potential and perpetuating gender inequality,” she added. 

Ms Azumah was speaking at a stakeholder engagement on child marriage held in Accra.

Event

The forum was organised by Girls Not Brides,  a global network of more than 1,400 civil society organisations (CSOs) from over 100 countries committed to ending child marriage and ensuring girls could reach their full potential, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

It was on the theme: “Pathways To Ghana's Progress: Addressing Legislative Gaps In Child Marriage and Customary Laws,” and brought together traditional leaders, religious heads, community leaders, advocates and government officials among others to brainstorm the best practices for ending the practice. 

Panel discussion 

Panellists at a round-table highlighted the need for traditional leaders and government authorities to collaborate in drafting laws and policies that would protect children from marriage while taking into account the cultural practices of the country as the customs existed long before the state. 

They also iterated the importance of capacity building for young people at the very basic level of communities, mentorship programmes and empowerment to take up leadership roles.  

They included the Spokesperson of the Chief Imam, Sheikh Armiyawo Shaibu; a Youth Advocate, Bernice Ocran Dodo; Mama Aflo-Vyiede II of the Mafi Traditional Area; the Chief of Hwakpo Traditional Area, Nene Hakpo Puplampu; and a representative from the Attorney-General’s Office. 

The National Chairperson of Girls Not Brides - Ghana, Faustina Osei Prempeh, highlighted the organisation’s efforts to combat child marriage which affects over two million child brides who concurrently face issues such as domestic violence, early pregnancies and limited opportunities.