Youth groups in Northern Ghana, supporting the implementation of the Power To Youth programme, have, in a recent press conference, highlighted the state of adolescent girls and young women in the Upper East and North East Regions.
At the news conference, the Tanziga/Bagtua in Kassena-Nankana West of the Upper East Region and Sagbana community in Chereponi District of the North-East Region were noted for their notoriety in child marriages and its effects.
The statement, read by Miss Dorcas Zoogah, Chairperson of the Young Urban Women Movement captured that, a significant number of girls between the ages of 12- and 19-years face challenges such forced marriages, early pregnancies and early marriages. The group further noted with concern that the worrying situation was a direct consequence of illegal mining activities in a neighbouring community across the Burkina Faso Border for the communities in the Kassena-Nankana West district.
The statement also highlighted that the detrimental traditional practice of forced marriages and betrothal in Sagbana in the Chereponi District, significantly, has an impact on the access to education by girls. It further captured that, it was uncommon to see a young girl aged 13 to 17 who wasn’t married or hadn’t experienced childbirth.
The Group as part of it’s call to action requested among other things that; government intensifies its efforts in the implementation of the National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage in Ghana 2017-2026, ensures that both community-based and district child protection committees operate at their optimum capacity. Additionally, the group has called on traditional and religious leaders to continue their unwavering support and dedication to the development of the girl child.
Find Attached full copy of the Press Statement: THE STATE OF ADOLESCENT GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gerard Awombadek Asagi|Ghana
