By Priscilla Oye Ofori
Accra, Oct. 7, GNA – More than 80 per cent of 40 communities in northern Ghana have recorded zero cases of child marriage, Mr Mohammed Awal Alhassan, the Executive Director of the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC), has revealed.
He attributed the achievement to a movement of youth groups, a community-led initiative that worked consistently in targeted areas to address the harmful practice.
Mr Alhassan announced this at the Power to You(th) National Closeout Ceremony in Accra, held on the theme: “A Journey of Change: Honouring Girls, Youth and Partnerships.”
The Power to You(th) initiative, implemented by NORSAAC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, was introduced in Ghana in 2021 alongside Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda.
It is to ensure that more adolescent girls and young women from underserved communities are meaningfully involved in decision-making on harmful practices, sexual and gender-based violence, and unintended pregnancies.
Explaining the community-led model, Mr Alhassan said the youth groups were empowered to engage religious and traditional leaders and to design specific activities aimed at eliminating child marriage.
“We give them space and build their capacity to work with religious and traditional leaders to develop and implement activities that help eliminate child marriage. Over the past two years, some of these communities have not recorded a single case,” he said.
He called for the scaling up of the youth movement to sustain the gains made in eliminating child marriage and other harmful practices.
Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, in a speech read on her behalf, urged that young people be empowered with the skills and opportunities needed to contribute meaningfully to national development.
“We believe that the youth should not wait to become leaders in the future, but start leading now. Giving them power and voice will help build a strong team of leaders for our great country,” she said.
Citing the 2021 Population and Housing Census, Dr Lartey noted that young people, aged 15 to 35, constituted 38.2 per cent of Ghana’s population, while individuals under 25 accounted for 57 per cent, a demographic with immense potential to drive national progress.
Alhaji Mohammed Sani Adams, Technical Director at the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, highlighted the gap between legislation and practice in addressing issues of marriage and consent.
“Unless we bridge the gap between legislation and real-world practice, we will continue to face challenges in enforcing laws on these issues,” he cautioned.
NORSAAC is a development-focused organisation dedicated to improving the quality of life of women, youth, and marginalised groups, and promoting social change to enhance citizens’ living conditions.
GNA
Edited by Agnes Boye-Doe