By
Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, Oct 11, GNA – Camfed Association Ghana
(CAMA Ghana) has marked this year’s International Day of the Girl Child with a
call on all stakeholders to intensify their efforts at fighting child marriages
in the country.
Miss Fatima Yakubu, Northern Regional
Chairperson of CAMA Ghana, who addressed a forum in Tamale on Thursday to mark
the day, said child marriages did not only have psychological and health
impacts on the girl child but also truncated their education, which limited
their opportunities in life.
The forum was organized by CAMA Ghana in
partnership with Youth Empowerment for Life, Ghana Youth Guide and Marie Stopes
International as part of the global celebration to highlight and address the
needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the
fulfilment of their human rights.
It was on the theme: “Eradicating Child
Marriage and Teenage Pregnancy: The Time to press for Change is now,” and it
was attended by CAMA Ghana members from across the region.
Ms Yakubu bemoaned the increasing cases of
child marriages in the region calling for a parent-girl-child relationship to
ensure that parents developed keen interest in the affairs of their daughters
and interacted with them more often to prevent them from being influenced by
negative peer pressure.
According to the 2011 Multiple Indicator
Cluster Survey, one in four girls are married off before their 18th birthday
with the practice recording 39.2 per cent in UER, 36.7 % in Western Region,
36.3 % in UWR and 27.4 % in N/R, making the country to fall among countries
with highest prevalence of CEFM in the world.
Ms Yakubu also encouraged teenage mothers to
go back to school or acquire economic empowerment skills such that they would
not be given to men, who impregnated for marriage.
Madam Mariam Iddrisu, Municipal Chief
Executive for Sagnarigu assured of government’s commitment to empower young
women economically through various initiatives to enable them to lead
meaningful lives to avoid falling for advances from men for sexual favours or
early marriage.
Bagzaa Naa Chief Alhassan Issahaku Amadu,
Former Northern Regional Director of the National Population Council advised
young girls to abstain from sex or practise safe sex by using contraceptives to
prevent teenage pregnancy.
GNA