By Mohammed Balu
Tumu, June 23, GNA – A 21-year-old resident of the Sissala area, Miss Rufia Luguda, has revealed that increasing pressure of forced marriage through elopement is pushing many young girls to migrate to southern Ghana to engage in head portering, popularly known as Kayayei.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tumu, Miss Luguda said many girls flee their communities to avoid being forcibly married off through elopement.
“Elopement is one of the main reasons we run away to work as kayayie. The pressure from some men in the community can be very frightening,” she stated.
She explained that some girls prefer to seek livelihood opportunities in urban centres rather than risk being forcibly taken into marriages with unknown men.
Kayayei (female porters) mainly engage in an informal economic activity carrying goods on their heads for a fee in markets and transport stations. The practice is often linked to rural-urban migration, poverty, unemployment, and gender-related socio-economic challenges.
Miss Luguda, who was recently rescued from a controversial network marketing scheme, Qnet, recounted her ordeal to the GNA.
She said her involvement in such activities began when an elder sibling introduced her to the Neo-Life marketing network.
She worked under difficult and restrictive conditions for about a year before escaping. Thereafter, she travelled to Accra, where she spent eight months working as a head porter at Agbogbloshie Market.
“I carried goods above my strength both day and night just to get money for rent and food.”
She further narrated a near-death experience after falling into the hands of a criminal gang.
“Later, I fell into the hands of a gang, and that nearly ended my life. I had to run without collecting my money,”she recounted.
Despite these hardships, she noted that many girls still view the Kayayei business as a means of achieving financial independence and escaping forced marriages.
Miss Luguda described the traumatic nature of elopement, explaining that some girls are forcibly taken away by groups of men.
“If you witness how a girl is eloped, you will weep. Sometimes a group of men can lift you like an object and throw you onto a moving motorcycle or tricycle,” she said.
She indicated that once taken away, victims may not even know who intends to marry them, as decisions are sometimes made by others without their consent.
“Someone else can choose the husband for you – a person you may have never seen before, whether underage, overaged, or someone you do not like,” she explained.
Miss Luguda also revealed that girls who escape forced marriages often face stigma and rejection within their communities, sometimes being treated as outcasts, which further limits their chances of marriage in the future.
She, therefore, urged parents to pay close attention to the welfare and protection of their daughters to prevent them from migrating to cities, where they become vulnerable to exploitation.
Now back home, she expressed hope of continuing her education after completing Senior High School and advised her peers to prioritise education over migration.
“I encourage other girls not to rush to the cities for Kayayei work but to stay in school and build a better future,” she said.
Meanwhile, Madam Bedaw Mohammed, an officer at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) in the Sissala East Municipality, disclosed that about 10 cases of elopement were investigated between 2025 and 2026.
She noted that domestic violence cases were also increasing in the area and urged victims to report incidents to the appropriate authorities for redress.
GNA
Edited by Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Writer: Mohammed Balu