Accra: More than 80 percent of 40 communities in northern Ghana have reported zero cases of child marriage, as revealed by Mr. Mohammed Awal Alhassan, the Executive Director of the Northern Sector Action on Awareness Centre (NORSAAC).
According to Ghana News Agency, this significant achievement is attributed to a community-led initiative involving youth groups that actively worked to combat the harmful practice of child marriage. Mr. Alhassan disclosed these findings at the Power to You(th) National Closeout Ceremony in Accra. The event, themed 'A Journey of Change: Honouring Girls, Youth and Partnerships,' highlighted the efforts and successes of the initiative.
The Power to You(th) initiative, implemented by NORSAAC in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, was launched in Ghana in 2021. It was also introduced in Ethiopia, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Senegal, and Uganda, with the goal of involving more adolescent girls and young women from underserved communities in decision-making regarding harmful practices, sexual and gender-based violence, and unintended pregnancies.
Mr. Alhassan elaborated on the community-led model, stating that youth groups were empowered to engage religious and traditional leaders in designing specific activities to eradicate 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 stated.
He also emphasized the need to expand the youth movement to sustain the progress 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, stressed the importance of empowering young people with opportunities and skills to contribute 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 expressed.
Highlighting demographic data from the 2021 Population and Housing Census, Dr. Lartey noted that individuals aged 15 to 35 constituted 38.2 percent of Ghana's population, while those under 25 accounted for 57 percent, representing a demographic with immense potential to drive national progress.
Alhaji Mohammed Sani Adams, Technical Director at the Ministry of Youth Development and Empowerment, pointed out the gap between legislation and practice in addressing marriage and consent issues. "Unless we bridge the gap between legislation and real-world practice, we will continue to face challenges in enforcing laws on these issues," he warned.
NORSAAC is committed to improving the quality of life for women, youth, and marginalized groups, and aims to promote social change to enhance citizens' living conditions.
