The statistics in 2017-18 available revealed that the Eastern Region of Ghana was leading forced early child marriage in Ghana.
Julina Abbeyguaye, the Acting Eastern Regional Director at the Department of Gender at National stakeholders meeting on End Child Marriage in Ghana ,in Kumasi organized by Ministry of Gender ,Social and children protection in collaboration with UNICEF disclosed that, the rate is currently reducing with the nation average of 19% while the Eastern region at the regional level recorded 28% as the biggest in Ghana.
According to her, most of the early child marriages are not former, because most of the victims girls in the region get pregnant and the parents push them to go and stay with them who impregnated them at the expense of their education or apprenticeship
She disclosed that most of the causes of teenage pregnancies leading to early girl’s child marriage are from the child trafficking which most of the Okada drivers takes advantage to pregnant them, because of lack of proper accommodation or shelters and good incomes for mostly of the vulnerable girls been traffic, the Okada drivers promised them of those incentive and end up impregnating them.
She disclosed that, the department always sensitize the victims and their parents to embrace government’s re-entry school policy for pregnant school girls and entrepreneurial skills programmes to enable them becomes responsible adults.
Malonia Asibi, Head – Domestic Violence Secretariat, Ministry of Gender, Social and Children Protection, explained that, the aim for the meeting was geared towards collating and track stakeholders concerning their operational plans at the second end and to also update what has been done with collation.
She said the meeting would also ensure that the stakeholders validate the draft to be use for their operational activities in the next year.
Malona Asibi stated that,the Girl Child is important person and should be well catered for the nation to be part of national development goals by guiding them.
She entreated parents and policy makers to empower the girl child by given them better education even if pregnant in school and should not push into early marriage.
She urged parents to give both their boys and girl child equal opportunity for education instead of pushing them into marriages.
Yeri Nancy of Norsaac, Northern Region on behalf of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) disclosed that, they are working with benevolence especially up North and are able yo reach out to about Ten Thousand (10,000) adolescent girls so far within the North, Savanna, North East and Upper regions in a rescue about thirty -five (35) on their mission, sensitizing both parents and children who are victims on the importance in getting back to school, entrepreneurial training and effects on early girl child marriages.
