As the world marks the 2017 International Day of the Girl Child on 11 October under the theme “empowering girls: before, during and after crisis”, Girls Not Brides Ghana is calling for the government to step up investments to end child marriage in Ghana.
Mrs Aba Oppong, the Chairperson of Girls Not Brides Ghana, said urgent action was needed to prevent thousands of girls being forced into marriage in the next decade.
“There is no more time for idle debates on this issue. We must take action now to eliminate child marriage, which violates girls’ rights and holds back development. That is why the partnership is holding ten regional stakeholder engagements on ending child marriage.” said Mrs Oppong. “Girls Not Brides Ghana is demanding that the government invest in solutions to end the practice, including funding for the Ghana National Strategy on Ending Child Marriage. But ending child marriage isn’t just the responsibility of government: communities, traditional rulers, queen mothers, religious leaders, youth groups and women and girls themselves all have a role to play.”
