Ghana, a nation celebrated for its vibrant culture, rich history, and progressive strides in various sectors, stands at a critical crossroads. The recent public declaration by Yakubu Mohammed, Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South East, where he jokingly announced to a group of schoolchildren that he would marry one of them when she grew up, has reignited a long-overdue conversation about child marriage, sexual violence, and the systemic normalization of harmful traditions in the country. While some may dismiss the incident as an isolated misstep or a cultural quirk, the truth is far more disturbing—and far more systemic.
This is not an exception. It is evidence of a deeply entrenched problem that has been allowed to fester under the guise of tradition, humor, and societal acceptance. The video alone does not tell the full story; it merely exposes the tip of an iceberg that threatens the futures of hundreds of thousands of Ghanaian girls every year. To truly understand the gravity of this issue, we must examine the statistics, the cultural context, and the collective failure of accountability that has allowed such behavior to persist.
The Statistics: A Nation at Risk
Ghana’s struggle with child marriage is not a fringe issue confined to remote villages or marginalized communities. It is a national crisis with measurable, devastating consequences.
According to the National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage (2017–2026), approximately one in five girls in Ghana is married before the age of 18. That translates to nearly 500,000 girls whose childhoods are stolen, their futures dictated by adult decisions, and their bodies treated as commodities rather than sacred. These numbers are not abstract—they represent real lives, real girls, and real families who have been failed by a system that continues to prioritize tradition over protection.
But child marriage is not the only threat. Ghana also faces a staggering rate of sexual violence against girls, with 38% of girls aged 15–19 reporting having experienced at least one act of sexual violence. In 2020 alone, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSU) recorded over 1,000 cases of defilement, though experts warn that these figures are likely only a fraction of the actual incidents—many cases go unreported due to shame, fear of stigma, and lack of trust in law enforcement.
These statistics are not isolated incidents. They are systemic patterns that reflect a society where girls are consistently treated as objects of adult desire, where their bodies are commodified, and where their voices are systematically silenced. When a Member of Parliament—an elected official with real power and influence—stands before a room of children, laughs along as he jokes about marrying one of them, he is not operating in a vacuum. He is speaking directly into this reality, reinforcing the very norms that lead to child marriage and sexual violence.
The joke was not a slip of the tongue. It was deliberate, public, and normalized—a reflection of a society that has internalized the idea that girls are not yet “ready” for adulthood until they are married off. The laughter in the room was not innocent. It was complicity.
The Culture of Silence: Why Apologies Fall Short
In the aftermath of the video, Yakubu Mohammed issued an apology—carefully worded, polite, and devoid of genuine remorse. The response from the public was swift: move on. But this is not a matter of moving on. It is a matter of confronting the root causes of why such behavior persists.
An apology that comes only after public outrage is not remorse. It is damage control. The comment was not made in private, in a moment of doubt. It was made in full view of the nation, in a public building, with cameras rolling, and met with laughter from adults who should have known better. The discomfort came after the internet exposed the incident—not because the speaker felt guilt, but because the public refused to let it go.
This is not conscience. This is calculation. It is the collective failure of accountability that allows powerful men to joke about marrying children without consequence.
Worse still, some have rushed to defend the comment as “culture”—a playful tradition misunderstood by a modern, sensitive public. But this defense is dangerous and disingenuous. Culture is not an excuse. It is a living, evolving framework that must be examined in the context of modern values, human rights, and the well-being of children.
A tradition that requires a child’s silence and a room’s laughter to survive is not being honored. It is being weaponized. Culture explains where a phrase comes from, but it does not excuse where it lands. When a man in a position of authority publicly declares his intention to marry a child, he is not engaging in harmless banter. He is reinforcing a system that already fails millions of girls.
The Need for Systemic Change
The problem is not just one man’s lapse in judgment. It is a cultural, institutional, and societal failure that requires bold, sustained action. Here’s what must change:
- Stronger Legal Consequences for Elected Officials
The current response—a statement, an apology, and a return to business as usual—is not enough. Parliament must impose real, visible sanctions for such behavior. If a Member of Parliament can joke about marrying a child in public and face no meaningful repercussions, then the message to the public is clear: this behavior is acceptable.
We need clear, enforceable safeguarding protocols in all institutions that interact with children—schools, government offices, religious institutions, and media outlets. No elected official should ever be alone with a child and a microphone without strict oversight and accountability measures.
- Public Education on the Difference Between Tradition and Harm
Many harmful practices in Ghana are misrepresented as “tradition” when they are, in reality, outdated, oppressive, and dangerous. The playful betrothal trope—where a man “claims” a girl as his future wife—is not a harmless joke. It is a reinforcement of the idea that girls are property to be traded.
Our media, chiefs, religious leaders, and educators must actively distinguish between genuine cultural heritage and harmful customs. We cannot continue to hide behind tradition when it comes to exploiting children. Public education campaigns must challenge these narratives and promote gender equality, child protection, and respect for human rights.
- Ending the Culture of Silence
The most dangerous part of this incident was not the joke itself, but the laughter. When adults smile, nod, or stay silent while a powerful man makes such a comment, they are giving permission for it to continue.
Every Ghanaian must reject this silence. The next time a man tells a little girl she will be his wife one day, do not laugh. Do not look away. Speak up. The silence in that room was not neutral. It was permission, and in a country where thousands of girls are already married as children or subjected to sexual violence, we cannot afford to grant that permission again.
A Nation’s Stake in Its Children
Ghana prides itself on being a progressive, forward-thinking nation. We celebrate our children as the future, our greatest asset, the drivers of our nation’s success. Yet, when a Member of Parliament publicly declares his intention to marry a child, he exposes the hypocrisy of these claims.
We say our children are our future. He showed us, on camera, exactly how much some of us still believe that. Now, it is our turn to show him—and ourselves—otherwise.
This is not about punishing one man. It is about challenging a culture that allows such behavior to exist. It is about protecting our girls, enforcing accountability, and demanding better from our leaders. The laughter must stop. The silence must end. And the collective failure to act must finally be confronted.
The choice is clear: Do we continue to normalize this, or do we stand up and demand change? The future of Ghana’s girls depends on it.
