A Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) in 2014 indicated that one out of every four girls in Ghana marry before they turn 18 and one out of five before 15, with an average of 27% every year.
This amounts to approximately 256,780 affected girls in the country. However, for girls living in the three northern regions of Ghana, this number increases to 1 out of 3 girls (34%).
Termed as child marriage, it is one of the social and cultural challenges that affect the education, wellbeing and development of girls in many communities in Ghana, and the practice denies children their basic human rights to enjoy childhood and fundamental human rights such as the right to education.
The national prevalence of child marriage in Ghana for girls aged 20-24 years has remained stable at 21% between 2011 and 2014. However, the regional trends show variations, with a progressive widening gap between the northern and central/southern zones of the country.
As part of efforts to campaign against this practice, ActionAid Ghana, a non-governmental organisation working with most deprived communities in Ghana, in collaboration with UNICEF and other partners, are implementing the ‘End Child Marriage’ in four regions where child marriage is most prevalent.
The project, launched in November 2015, would see to it that parents are educated on the implications of child marriage and how young girls can resist child marriage and concentrate on their education.
ActionAid Ghana, also as part of the project’s advocacy and campaign initiatives, has unveiled the project’s ambassador in the person of Ms Abigail Baciara Bentie (Baci), the 2014 winner of Ghana’s Most Beautiful pageant.
The role she will play as an ambassador for the two-year renewable voluntary contract is to add her voice as a role model to many advocacy interventions in fighting for the right and dignity of the girl-child.
The ‘End Child Project’ Manager at ActionAid Ghana, Vera Anzagira, mentioned that the project has coverage of 120 communities across four regions - Upper West, Upper East, Brong Ahafo and Greater Accra, where the practice is most prevalent.
She said the project is expected to benefit 215,000 direct as well as indirect beneficiaries such as girls, boys, guardians, traditional leaders, teachers, the local community and its leaders.
”The purpose of today’s gathering is to learn and share ideas on how we can work together to end this child marriage in these communities. No one organisation has all the answers but if we work together as parents, teachers and community leaders, we can make the desired impact,” she stressed.
Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, Mr Sumaila Abdul-Rahman, in his brief remarks, stated that his outfit as an NGO cannot watch on helplessly as the rights of these young girls are violated.
He added that there must be a shared and collective effort by all stakeholders in child protection to ensure child marriage is eradicated in the country.
In her acceptance speech, Ms Bentie disclosed that she accepts to take the role because she has witnessed child marriage and knows how devastating it is on the part of the victims.
She promised to use her mandate to drastically reduce the practice, if not bring to zero tolerance.
Children from some affected communities in Greater Accra who have experienced or escaped child marriage shared their stories before project stakeholders, traditional authorities and community members at the unveiling of the project ambassador.
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