Mrs Mariam Adam Kadiri, Gender Officer of Ghana Developing Communities Association (GDCA) has advised parents not to give their girl-child out for early marriages but rather ensure that they complete education.
She gave the advice at a sensitization workshop at Yendi attended by community stakeholders drawn from Saboba, Chereponi, Kpandai, Gushegu and Karaga Districts and the Yendi Municipality with the aim to eliminate child marriages in the three northern regions.
The workshop was organized by Stratcomm Africa with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) as part of a project inception phase on child marriages with the view to influencing policies that brought about the desired change.
Mrs Adam Kadiri said parents must see their girl-child as assets and invest in their education to enable them become better wives in future to contribute to the development of society instead of giving them out for early marriages.
She appealed to district assemblies and traditional authorities to enact bye-laws on child marriages.
Mr Emmanuel Kentor Adjei, Principal Development Communication Officer of Stratcomm Africa, said Stratcomm Africa would collaborate with the Departments of Gender in the various districts in the three northern regions to discuss the issue of child marriage and the alternatives using human right–based approach to develop appropriate tools for sensitization and advocacy campaigns.
Meanwhile, officials from Stratcomm Africa and UNFPA later paid a courtesy call on the Regent of Dagbon, Kampakuya Na Yakubu Abdulai Andani at the Gbewaa Palace at Yendi to brief him and his elders on the sensitization campaign to stop child marriages in the three northern regions.
Kampakuya Na Abdulai Andani called on traditional authorities, politicians, opinion leaders and women groups to get involved to eliminate child marriages in the three northern regions
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