Northern Regions: 34% of Girls Married Off Before 18

Thirty-four percent of girls in the three Northern regions are married off before they turn 18, the latest Amnesty International report has revealed.

The report acts as a means of documenting human rights activity to help correct the injustice.

The report among other things also bemoaned the poor access to the Justice and legal system in the country.

Addressing the press Thursday, Head of Trafficking at the Gender Ministry, Victoria Natsu said more must be done to stop child marriages in the three Northern regions.

“We were in a sensitization programme in the North in Tamale and then I asked the question and the Chiefs were saying this is our culture and our tradition and then I asked how many of you would want their boy children as young as 15 to marry an old widow but they all said no.

“If your boy cannot marry an elderly woman why do you want your older men to marry younger girls? So it tells you that this is discrimination. So we have done a lot, we are fighting human trafficking and we are looking at issues of domestic violence,” Madam Natsu said.

In 2016 Women empowerment advocacy organization called Songtaba disclosed an increase of 42 percent in child marriage and gender based violence in Northern Ghana.

This situation, according to Songtaba’s programmes Director, Hajia Lamnatu Adam is above the national average of 24%.

“The situation in Northern Ghana is far above the national average and I believe religious bodies are crucial in fighting against child marriage and gender based violence.”

Hajia Lamnatu Adam raised this concern in Tamale at a meeting with religious leaders and faith based organizations supporting the campaign against child marriage and gender based violence in Northern region.

Source: Starrfmonline