The Sabegu community in the Tolon District of the northern region has passed a bye law banning young girls from migrating to the cities to work as head porters, popularly known as ‘Kayaye’.
The bye law states that any household whose young girl travels to the cities to work as kayaye will be sanctioned severely, including paying huge sums of money. The law also prohibits households from giving out their young girls for marriage.
Speaking at a durbar to announce the bye laws, the assemblyman of the area, Hamidu Abdul-Latif said the community members were educated on gender related issues by NORSAAC, with support from UNICEF, the government of Ghana, the NCCE, and Department of community Development in the Tolon district.
The chief and people arrived at the decision to pass those bye laws after thorough consultations on the understanding of their decision and its positive impact on the community.
Mr. Hamidu explained that, the kayaye phenomenon has been a major challenge in the Sabegu community and has retarded the development of the girl child, hence the need to pass those bye laws.
He urged parents, especially mothers, to spearhead the act; therefore the bye law passed will discourage them from pushing their young girls into this act
The project officer in charge of gender and governance at NORSAAC, Miss Nancy Yeri, , lauded the community for the initiative and urged them to make the bye laws workable.
Miss Yeri explained that if the bye laws are made to work in the community, they will go a long way towards ending the issues of kayaye and child marriage.
By;Kwame Tamakloe/zaaradio.com