ActionAid sensitises youth groups on child marriage

Accra, July 9, GNA - ActionAid has held a sensitisation programme to end child marriage for the youth at Treba, a farming community in the Ga West Municipality.

They were taken through topics like: What is Child Marriage, Who is a Child, and What are the Effects of Child Marriage.

The programme, a collaborative agenda of Actionaid and UNICEF, was on the theme: 'End Child Marriage Campaign - Working with Communities and Children's Clubs to Prevent Child Marriage in Ghana.'

Mesdammes Abena Anim-Adjei of ActionAid, Lily Ofori-Addo of the Department of Social Welfare, Ga West, and Evelyn Dogbatse, Ghana Education Service, Child Education Division, Ga West, took the youth through the discussions.

Madam Anim-Adjei said it was an offence under the Constitution of Ghana to engage a child below 18 years in marriage and 'it is even unacceptable for your parents to collect drinks and other things for cohabitation.'

Using a tree to illustrate some points, she said; 'a tree without good roots cannot not hold its branches in place thereby creating a hierarchical problem of teenage pregnancy, school dropouts, pressure at home and recycling of poverty within families.'

Madam Dogbatse urged the youth, especially the girls, to be serious with their education because that is the only way they could sustain themselves in life.

She urged parents to equip their daughters who could not do well in school with some vocational skills so they would not fall prey to irresponsible men.

Madam Ofori-Addo said the social welfare was a branch of government that brought some solace to unstable homes or families and asked the youth to carry the message to community members who were unaware of the existence of such institutions.

'We are there to educate and advocate for good family life and also for them to go through the socialization process.

'Child marriage matters should not be allowed to be settled at home because it is offence under the Children's Law,' she said.

The participants suggested stiffer punishment of persons who encourage and perpetrate child marriage and called for dramas to be organised in the communities to drum home the effect of child marriage and teenage pregnancy.

GNA