Seek to Save Foundation, a Ho based non-governmental organization with focus on the provision of social services to vulnerable in society Thursday inaugurated an advocacy committee in the Akatsi North District to protect children against forced/child marriages.

The advocacy committee would basically play a “watchdog” role in the District and help arrest perpetrators of such acts.

The project, with funding from UNICEF would see similar committees inaugurated in Akatsi South, North and Central Tongu Districts of the Volta Region.

Statistics available to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) indicate that 33 out of every 100 children are given out for marriage in the Volta region.

The Akatsi North District is said to lead in teenage pregnancies in the Region and has high cases of child labour and child marriages.

Madam Commend Enyam Akpeloo, Executive Director of Seek to Save Foundation described the situation as worrying and charged the advocacy team to rise to the defense of children, especially girls in the District.

She asked members of the committee to advocate for positive behavior change that protected children from violence, abuse and exploitation.

“The incidents here are too many so you must create awareness and prevent early or forced marriages in the communities,” Madam Akpeloo stated.

Madam Lena Alai, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Women, in a presentation said traditional and religious beliefs and poverty continued to fuel the practice of early and child marriage.

She said if the current trend continued, 407,000 of young girls born between 2005 and 2010 would be married or be in union before age 18 by 2030.

Mr Edwin Gamadeku, Volta Regional Director of the Department of Children said children have the right to grow up with their parents and urged parents to always make the interest of the child paramount.

The Akatsi North advocacy committee and Seek to Save Foundation sign a memorandum of understanding to work together to stop child marriages in the District.