Upper East Regional Representative at TV3 Ghana’s Most Beautiful IX Patience Azure has embarked on a campaign against Forced and Early marriages in some communities of the Nabdam District in the Upper East region.
The campaign which is geared towards sensitizing parents and community members on the repercussions of early marriages and the need for Girl Child Education is supported by Afrikids Ghana.
In an interview with a1radioonline.com, Miss Azure said the decision to embark on this campaign first of all is to wage a war against Early and Forced marriages which are predominant in the three northern regions of Ghana.
In a series of meetings with parents, some community members and opinion leaders in some communities in the Nabdam District, Miss Azure underscored the need to eschew early marriages and rather focus on educating the girl child for a total transformation of families and also securing the future of the girl child.
“I chose this campaign because I noticed that early or force marriages are quiet high in the three northern regions and we were actually leading. We have a good number of young girls who are given out for marriage early. When you have a one on one interaction with them, you will get to know that it is not by their own will that they get married but sometimes it is their parents that force them to get married. As a lady, this is one issue that touches my heart and I think I should stand on my feet to fight against it” she said.
According to her, the tendency to give out female children for marriage in order to raise resources for the education of male children is wrong and must be discouraged. This she added will only worsen the already existing poverty situations in the families and by extension the communities.
As part of her promise during the Ghana Most Beautiful contest to embark on a campaign against this social menace, she disclosed that a grand launch of the program will be held in February 2016 and that will unveil her as an Ambassador for Girl Child Rights and a properly laid out campaign plan and strategy that will reach out to many identified rural communities in the region.
Talensi/Nabdam area manager of Afrikids Ghana Silas Ayaaba told a1radioonline.com that the current community sensitization program on Early and Forced marriages is a pilot program but added that a comprehensive program on same thematic area will be rolled out early next year that will have Miss Azure serve as an icon and an example for the need for girl child education and that sensitization program will be funded by UNICEF.
He added that sensitization program is targeted at children at the school level including child rights clubs, parents and opinion leaders in 20 communities and 102 schools in the Talensi/Nabdam area.
By: Azongo Albert | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
