We need concerted effort to end child marriage - First Lady
The First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, has reiterated her call on parents, traditional rulers, and religious leaders to put their effort together to end child marriage in Ghana.
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She has, therefore, called on Ghanaians to play their respective roles, to ensure that girls were allowed to stay in school to realise their full potential and not to be forced into child marriage.
She was speaking at the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) stand at the Apoo Festival at Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region recently, where the Ghana Chapter of the OAFLA, in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Lordina Foundation offered free medical screening for the people.
She said a UNICEF data revealed a worrying reality that 41,000 girls below age 18 got married each day globally; 28 girls every minute while in every two seconds, a girl got married, pointing out that these girls were compelled to abandon their dreams of a sound education, and also a future profession as doctors, engineers or lawyers.
Early marriage
In Ghana, the report of the 2011 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) indicates that on the average, one out of four girls will be married before her 18th birthday with the Upper Region having the highest prevalence rate of 39.20 per cent, whereas Greater Accra has the lowest rate of 12.2 per cent, being the only region with a rate lower than the national average of 27 per cent.
“It is also caused by the restricted access to secondary education because of inadequate space in existing secondary schools, is why the government’s effort in building new community day senior high schools must be encouraged. We must ensure that girls are allowed to stay in school and realise their full potential and not be forced into child marriages before the age of maturity,” she said.
She also spoke about the foundation’s efforts to work towards Ghana’s goal of achieving a generation free from HIV and attain its HIV Fast track targets by the year 2020 and added, “Gain your freedom, know your HIV status”.
She pledged that as the chairperson of OAFLA and head of the Lordina Foundation, she would continue to partner the chiefs, queen mothers and religious leaders in the fight against cervical and breast cancers, saying, “early detection and treatment is the key”.
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Medical screening
She appealed to all, both men and women, the elderly and the youth, to go to the screening points right on the durbar grounds for the nurses and peer educators to answer all their questions and provide HIV, breast cancer and other health screening services free of charge.
Mrs Mahama said the Ghana Chapter of OAFLA, in collaboration with the Ghana AIDS Commission and the Lordina Foundation, would continue to raise awareness and provide educaion for the prevention of new HIV infections, especially during festivities and holidays, stressing, “We will, however, work to bring services to your doorstep and ensure that every woman has a chance to be tested”.
Invest resources
She said the government would continue to commit a lot of resources to improve the health, education and road infrastructure, and accelerate programmes to improve livelihoods, reduce poverty and diseases, and create employment for the people.
She appealed to the people to be conscious of their environment as a clean and well-preserved environment would ensure good health and curb the spread of diseases.