By Eunice Hilda A. Mensah
Accra, Oct.17, GNA – Plan International Ghana’s empowered 15-year-old teenager and Speaker of the West Mamprusi Municipality Children’s Parliament, Beatrice Dammigu Laari, has taken over the seat of the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment, Mr George Opare Addo.
The take over which happed just for a day on the theme: “The Girl I Am; The Change I Lead”, was to celebrate the International Day of the Girl, join the global Girl Takeover Campaign and empower girls to step into high-level leadership roles and advocate for gender equality.
Ms Laari in an interaction with the Minister who had in turn taken the seat of a guest in his office, said among the challenges faced in the West Mamprusi Municipality were child labour, teenage pregnancy, child marriage and drug abuse.
She appealed to the Minister to initiate a move to unearth how young people in her municipality accessed drugs to be able to control the situation.
She also noted that it was unfortunate that some families in her municipality married of girls to older or young men with the notion that it was tradition, saying: “that is really disturbing”.
“So if there would be more sensitization and education about child marriage, it would really be good. I would also love that you create a platform for the children’s parliament to visit the President so that we can tell him about some of the problems we face in our municipality. And I hope he could help us,” she told the Minister.
Ms Laari in an address to the media said the takeover was no ordinary but a historic moment as the Minister was the first ever appointed to the newly created portfolio.
“His decision to open his office to a young girl leader like me is a powerful testament to his belief in the power and potential of girls and young people, not just as future leaders, but as leaders of today,” she said.
The teenage Minister said a recent report by Plan International, titled: “Let Me Be a Child, Not a Wife – Girls Experiences of Living Through Child Marriage”, revealed that each year, 12 million girls were married before their 18th birthday – thats one girl every three seconds.
The report which documented the experiences of 200 married girls across 10 countries, she said showed that child marriage robbed girls of their childhood, their rights and future, adding: “It is practice that must not be tolerated, encouraged or ignored.”
Mr George Opare Addo, the Minister of the Sector, said one could only be married if she was 18 years and had gotten permission from her family.
“So we must all frown upon child marriages. That is not right. It cannot be right, and it cannot be supported. And so as a society, it is an act of wickedness for any father or mother to sit idle and allow her child, who is less than or who is not of age, to be put out or to be forced into marriage because of poverty or whatever reasons,” he added.
He gave an assurance to inform the President of the willingness of the children’s parliament to meet him over their challenges.
“…I want to assure you that His Excellency, President Mahama will be more than happy to engage with the children’s parliament, to also listen to you and get to understand some of the problems from your perspective. I’ve always said that if you want to formulate policy, that is going to be beneficial to the masses, it must always be made from the base,” he said.
Mr Addo appealed to the District and Municipal Chief Executive for the Walewale Municipality to allocate if possible, a part of their common fund to support in the construction of a Junior High school (JHS) and Library facility for the school of the new Minister, ‘the Walewale Girls’ Model JHS.
The Girl Takeover Campaign, a global initiative led by Plan International, is a powerful advocacy movement that provides girls and young women the opportunity to symbolically “take over” leadership roles in politics, business, media, and civil society.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba