The Child Marriage Unit of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, with support from UNICEF Ghana, has held a validation meeting on the Social Protection and Child Marriage Study in Accra.
The Head of the Child Marriage Unit, Madam Safia Tamimu, stated that the Ministry and UNICEF have adopted a systematic-strengthening approach to address the multidimensional and root causes of gender-based violence, which include the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty cash transfer programme and the Integrated Social Service (ISS) initiative.
She indicated that, “Among other drivers of child marriage in Ghana, poverty is the major cause because parents marry off their girl child in exchange for financial payments such as bride wealth or to reduce the cost of caring.”
She said the country needs to accelerate action to end early child and forced marriage by 2030.
According to the Child Marriage Unit, reports from UNICEF have described Child marriage as a global phenomenon that must be recognised as a human rights violation. Though the practice remains widespread, there has been progress in reducing it over the last three decades in the country.
Grace Acheampong, ISD