"Child marriage, defined as a marriage where one or both parties are below 18 years of age".
-UNICEF
The crime of child marriage is rarely discussed in some communities in Ghana because it is an accepted norms and practice. This practice is rarely discussed because it is practiced mostly by community leaders who ideally, were suppose to be those at the forefront tp combat this crime.
According to UNICEF, one in every five girls are married before their 18th birthday and overall, there are over two-million child brides in Ghana.
Due to male dominance society, Women(girls) do not have a say on, when and how to chose a spouse. Parents mostly the (husbands) negotiate and select spouses for their girl child and this crime is accepted as the status-quo in most communities. The main drivers of this crime are, Traditional, Customary Practices and Social norms, Economic hardship, Male Dominance Society, and others. The desire to marry virgins and avoid infidelity in marriage is also one key reasons for early marriage coupled with the prestige attached to it in local communities.
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As a student in Northern Ghana, I'm always shocked to the marrow when i see young ladies forced into marriage in most rural communities. I went to a school to take data on the number of girls in the school in other to donate sanitary pads to them in November 2019. By January 2021, 29 female students dropped out of school because of child marriage. The headteacher attributed this spikes to the lockdown in 2020 and the rise of teenage permanency. I spoke to one lady who told me she's forced into the marriage, Because this crime is deep rooted in our society and culture, it is difficult to fight it without chaos among families.
Sometimes, good laws are not enough, but a concerted efforts from all stakeholders to tame the practice is the ultimate way however, this rarely happens because the practice is deeply imbedded in our culture and society. The mental and psychological trauma these child brides goes through cannot be explain by mere words. In most cases, these child brides become nothing but child bearers and slaves to their old husbands who usually dies and leave the burden of raising the children on the girls.
To conclude, I believe the best way to combat this crime is to engage community leaders through sensitization and advocacy that is backed by laws that are not just rigid and good, but are enforced by all.
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