Patience Azure, Upper East Region’s representative at this year’s Ghana’s Most Beautiful IX has challenged parents in Zuo, a community under the Nabdam District to educate their children especially the girl child rather than pushing them into early marriages under the guise of poverty.
According to her, education is the provider of opportunities and a lack of it hinders the girl child from various opportunities that abound in life.
Miss Azure was addressing residents of Zuo at a brief gathering organized by Afrikids, a Non-Governmental Organization to educate residents on the need to end force marriages and invest in educating their girl child.
She noted that most young girls of school going age are forced by their parents into marriages when they are not matured enough and this according to her does not augur well for the development of the girl child.
Azure who is a teacher by profession said “although i was aware of the practice, the spate of its occurrence is alarming and needs to be tackled. Parents cannot use poverty as an excuse to deprive their girl child education and just push them into marriages they are not ready for.”
She charged members of the community to invest into educating their children especially the girl child saying “look at your DCE, she is a lady but because her parents did not force her into marriage at a tender age but rather invested in her education, she is now leading this district. Parents take a cue from her and educate your children.”
On his part, Assemblyman for the area, Daniel Animah mentioned that, parents force their girl child into marriages to pay debt owed by their grandparents, to get cattle to take care of their family and these reasons according to him are frivolous and should not be entertained.
He noted that as young as primary two girls are forced into marriages in the area but vowed to eradicate such outmoded practice.
He hinted that the District Assembly has resolved to prosecute any parent who forcefully marries out the girl child and also the men who agree to such illegality.
By: Offei-Akoto Ayeh | A1RADIOONLINE.com | Ghana
