Acting Upper East Regional of Department of children bemoan spate of child marriage

Mrs Geogina Abere-ako , the Acting Regional Director of the
Department of Children in charge of the Upper East Region has bemoaned
the spate of child marriages in the country particularly in the Region.
Speaking on the topic “Prevention of Early Marriage” on Word FM ,
a private FM radio station in the Region with children panel as part
of the events to mark this year’s annual National Children’s Day
celebration in the Region, the Director stressed that the practice
did not only constitute a violation of the fundamental human rights of children
particularly the girl-child but
also undermine their development and growth.
Quoting from the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560) to buttress her
point , she said the legal age for marriage was 18 years for girls and
boys and noted that according to the Multiply Indicators Cluster Survey
of Ghana (2011) about 6 per cent of girls were married before the age
of 15 and that it had also been documented that about 8 per cent of
girls in the Western Region were married before the age of 15.
The Acting Regional Director said the situation in the Upper East
Region was not different and indicated most parents in some communities
in the region often withdrawn their daughters who ages were below the age 18 for
marriages which, she noted , constituted a bridge of the
law.
She warned
that the law would not spare such irresponsible parents when caught cautioned them
to
desist from the act to avoid the embarrassment that would be meted out
to them when caught.
“It is a barrier to girl’s education as young girls drop out from
school to get married which impacts negatively on them and the
community as a whole and the wellbeing of the future generation”
The practice, she stressed, also stood in direct conflicts with the
objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) such as the
promotion of basic education, fight against poverty, the prevention of
HIV/AIDS and reduction of maternal mortality.
Mrs Abere-ako stated that research findings had showed that parental neglect,
economic survival, peer group and family pressure, wars and
civil conflicts, socio-cultural and religious values, broken homes among others were
the causes of early marriage.
She
suggested that to combat the phenomenon, there was the need to promote
education of girls and sensitize parents through the mass media,
stressing “that the awareness of the whole community about the
consequences of early marriage on girls themselves, their family and on
the community as a whole are key”.
The theme for this year’s National Children’s Day celebration was”
Eliminating Negative Socio-Cultural Practices, the Role of the Girl
Child in the Preventive of early Marriage”
The School Children who participate actively in the radio programme
advocated against early marriages and pledged that they would
ambassadors against early marriages in their respective communities and
in schools.