The cultural troupe of the Western Regional Directorate of Centre for National Culture (CNC), has staged a drama in Sekondi-Takoradi, as part of the campaigns to end child marriage in the area.

The event was under the auspices of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, the Ghanaian Against Child Abuse (GACA) and funded by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners.

The 40-minute sketch had themes including, teenage pregnancy, girl-child education, sanitation, handwashing, personal hygiene and the rights of the Ghanaian Child, as enshrined in the Children’s Act of 2008.

The CNC is implementing the campaigns in five communities in Sekondi -Takoradi, Wassa East and Ahanta West districts.

At the National level, this social drive to end child marriage with the catch phrase ‘For our future, end child marriage. Now!’ is also being implemented in the North East, Savannah, Eastern, Central Regions and Western regions.

The Deputy Regional Director of CNC, Kassim Mireku, told the Ghana Ne
ws Agency, that the first phase of the project began on December 5, and would end on December 22.

He said ‘We are using mobile drama to highlight child marriage and influence behavioral change in our communities. It targets parents and children, and you see that they identify with the characters in the sketch.’

He explained that the team would conduct monitoring and evaluation exercises together with the community stakeholders, to assess the successes of the social drive to end child marriage.

The Western Regional Director of CNC, Reverend Dr Stephen Ebo Kessie, explained that child marriage was one critical issue that undermined the development of the girl child in rural and coastal areas of the Region.

He said, data collected pointed to the high prevalence of child marriages in some communities and mentioned Jerusalem, Abetemeso and Essaman areas in Wassa East, where it was more worrying due to the influence of other cultures.

Rev Dr Kessie reported that girls were betrothed to men at younger ages and
later at age 12, were married off by parents, stressing ‘it’s across board, so the people in the community know the issues.’

‘So far so good. We are only concerned with the low patronage at European Town and Lower new Takoradi. But, as we roll out to Ahanta West, we will build on the gains as we work with stakeholders in education and health sectors,’ he added.

The Assemblyman for Lower New Takoradi, Gilbert Siaw Afriyie Assifuah, also told the Ghana News Agency that, child marriage was prevalent in the area because parents believed they would get money and fish from the fishermen.

He was happy about the Child Act which proscribed child marriages and hoped that offenders would be punished to deter others.

‘Nobody has the right to ‘sell’ his child aged 12 years, for example, to satisfy his selfish gains. We will continue to support and push this advocacy campaigns. Our girls have a future,’ Mr Assifuah added.

The Metropolitan Officer of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development, Ms Consta
nce Baiden, explained that to marry a girl under 18 years, according to the 1992 constitution, was illegal.

She hoped the CNC campaigns would create a better understanding of child marriages and also impact positively on the communities.
Source: Ghana News Agency