Child marriage, an absurd and disheartening calamity for the African girl still exists. How surprising it is for a young promising African girl child to be married off to a man as old to be his father or grandfather against her wish without anyone coming to her rescue. Child marriage is a disaster and a chronic disease that has plagued the world for numerous generations and still counting and we’re yet to find a solution to eradicate it completely.
Child marriage is actually a gender issue, it’s actually an inequality issue and that’s what it is because the girl child is the only one that is mostly found in this situation excluding the boys, I’m yet to witness a boy child serving the same purpose in society though it might be happening elsewhere. Girls below the ages of 13 are married to the age group of their fathers and sometimes their grandfather’s which is so unfortunate.
A research that was conducted by adwoaadubianews.com regarding reasons leading to child marriage in the country found that lazy parents with dumbfounded ideas think that giving their girl child under the ages of 15 years in marriage is a way of easing pressure and burden on themselves.
On the other hand, the negative impact is so huge that it does not only affect the girl child but actually the whole world. “According to global partnership. Org, a new study on the economic impacts of child marriage by the World Bank and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) suggests that the negative impacts of child marriage on a wide range of development outcomes are large.
This is the case not only for child brides, but also for their children and for societies overall. The study benefited from support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the Global Partnership for Education”.
Child marriage is said to lead to population growth and entrenched poverty. Detailed analysis was carried for 15 countries, with extrapolations done for some of the impacts and costs of child marriage for more than 100 developing countries.
The research continues to identify the fact that by the year 2030, child marriage is expected to cost the equivalent of trillions of dollars to populations in the developing countries. Empirical evidence have shown that children that are involved in early marriage hardly impacts society positively, they put pressure on society because they must be catered for and and that of their children too.
Girls involved in early marriage hardly continue with their education, child marriage mostly prevents girls from having secondary education and that is because they enter into the marriage right after basic school and most of the time, child birth follows hence they find it difficult to continue to the second cycle institutions.
The Upper West Regional Girls Education Officer at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Madam Annacleta Viiru in her submission in the news recently indicated that no girl has ever completed the Sawoubea Junior High School (JHS) in the Wa East District since its establishment about 25 years ago.
She said the highest educational level girls in the area had ever attained was JHS two before being sent for marriage. This revelation concerning child marriage is disgusting, disheartening and disastrous for a nation like Ghana. How can this happen in a 21st century with all the campaigns on the need for the girl child to be educated.
Madam Viiru, revealed that the situation was worrying as the girls were denied their right to education and development. “Last year, about eight girls were sent for marriage and the teachers reported to the Wa East District Gender Desk Officer, and she also reported it to DOVSU and we picked the matter up”, she said. She, however, regretted that at the time of the intervention, two of the girls were pregnant and one had already given birth. Like seriously for our nation Ghana.
She said the perpetrators of the act were cautioned and made to sign a bond of good behavior to release the girls to go back to school and to complete their education before getting married. “Recently, a 15 year old girl at Boo in the Lawra Municipality was given out for marriage but when the girl’s parents and the man’s people were questioned they said there is nothing wrong with that”, Madam Viiru added.
Is this supposed to be the fate of the girl child in the Upper East Region, to get married to his father or grandfather and be denied her right to education? When and how will child marriage end? Is it likely young boys will be married off or young girls should suffer this fate alone.
Seriously the better a long lasting solution is found to this to this canker, the better.Our girls needs to be protected, they need to be educated just like the young boys, they are not born for marriage only but possesses unique talents to contribute their quota whether in small or bigger ways to the development of others and the society in general.
The late Kwegyir Aggrey said if you educate a man, you educate an individual but if you educate a woman, you educate a nation. He said it better with few words because of the enormous benefits that comes with educating a woman, her family, friends, society, country and the whole world benefit from her been educated directly or indirectly.
The benefit of a lady been educated goes a long way to the unborn generations.We have gallant Ghanaian women such as the likes of Elizabeth Ohene, The Chief of Staff, Abena Frema Opare, Gifty Anti,Her Ladyship Justice Sophia Akuffo and the others contributing to the success of our beloved nation.
These brilliant women wouldn’t have been this influential and a major contributor to the growth of our country if only they had been married off as young girls. Parents caught in this monstrous act should be dealt without fear or favor. This is an emotional torture for young girls and parents who initiate these early marriages shouldn’t be spared at all.
By Adwoa Adubia.
