Children encouraged to expose parents and men who force them into early marriages


Children have been encouraged to expose parents and men who want to force them into early marriages. Parent have equally been reminded that child marriage is still criminal under the country’s laws and anyone found promoting it will be dealt with accordingly. 

The Executive Director of Community Development Alliance, an NGO Yussif Kanton stated this during a forum to discriminate findings on the practice of Child and forced marriage in the Daffiama-

Bussie-Issa distric at Issa in the Upper West West Region. Correspondent Sualah Abdul-wahab has sent this report.

Children in parts of the country continue to engage in child and forced marriages. This is mostly perpetuated by parents or relatives of the children due to either poverty or ignorance. 

Though the country’s law frown on the practice it continues to gain grounds. It is for this reason that the Community Development Alliance, CDA with support from UNICEP is working to eliminate the practice in selected districts of the Upper West Region. 

The Executive Director of CDA Mr Kanton explains further the ultimate objectives of the programme.

The DCE for Daffiama-Bussie-Issa Fedelix Zumapke said child marriage is one of the major contributory factors to poverty in the district. He said it does not only truncate the education of the girl child but also put her health at risk. 

Mr Zumapke entreated parents to stop the practice and rather encourage their children to pursue education to the higher level before marriage.


GBC