By Razak Baba
The Technical Specialist, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Gender Team Lead at the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Doris Mawuse Aglobitse says despite Ghana’s impressive strides at eliminating child marriage, additional effort is needed to improve the development outcomes of child brides.
Dr. Aglobitse who disclosed this at the National Stakeholders Review Meeting on Ending Child Marriage in Ghana at Kumasi said currently, at least 1 in 5 children were married or were in a union before they turned 18.
Additionally, data available to UNFPA reveal that the majority of those married in childhood give birth as adolescents, thereby increasing their vulnerabilities to maternal mortality, violence, abuse and forced sexual relations due to unequal power relations. Ashanti Regional
The 2021 National Stakeholders Review Meeting on ending Child Marriage in Ghana was jointly organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNFPA, World Vision International and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.
The three-day event attracted officials from Department of Social Welfare, National Commission for Civic Education, National Development Planning Commission, the Judicial Service and Civil Society Organizations to discuss, ending gender-based violence and harmful practices including child marriage.
The Global Programme to end Child Marriage being implemented by the United Nations Children’s Fund and UNFPA has since 2020, sought to increase political support, resources, gender-responsive policies and frameworks and improve data and evidence on what works to accelerate action to end this menace by year 2030.
The collaborative efforts have resulted in the launch of the Ghana Child Marriage Information Portal to provide accurate data and information on child marriage in the country and to support with coordination efforts.
At the National Stakeholders Review Meeting on ‘Ending Child Marriage’ in Ghana at Kumasi, the Technical Specialist, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and Gender Team Lead at the UNFPA, Dr. Doris Mawuse Aglobitse said despite Ghana’s impressive strides at eliminating child marriage, additional effort is needed to improve the development outcomes of these child brides.
The Head of Domestic Violence Secretariat at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Madam Malonin Asibi said parents, ”owed it a responsibility to give their children who got involved in adolescent pregnancies another chance to rebuild their lives”.
