The Kpalsogu community in the Tolon district of the northern region has passed a by-law against early marriages in the community to deal with perpetrators of the act.
Community members say the move was the only way curb the menace in the area. Under the by-law, any member of the community who impregnates a girl of school going age will be made to pay all the expenses made on the child since she started school.
In addition, the man will not be given the girl’s hand in marriage, instead the money paid will be used to send the girl back to school.
A community chairman, Mohamed Sibdoe Wunibiyali disclosed this during a meeting with NORSAAC, a gender centered NGO at Kpalsogu. The meeting was to discuss how to protect the girl child against early marriage.
He explained that any parent who gives out a child for early marriage will be banished from the community. Sibdoe Wunibiyali spoke to Zaa news on behalf of the chief and people of the community.
Project officer for Gender and Governance at NORSAAC, Miss Nancy Yeri thanked the community members for their initiative, describing it as a good step in ending early marriage.
In a related development, the Tingoli community in the Tolon district of the northern region has attributed the migration of their girls to the major cities for Kayaye the direct consequence of parents’ inability to provide them with some basic needs.
The community members disclosed this during a household training on child marriages and issues affecting girls in the area.
The community members explained that sometimes the children go to their parents for money to purchase dresses or footwear, but are denied by some parents due to financial difficulties in the home.
According to them, the situation compels some young girls to go into early marriages in the community.
Madam Habiba, a trainee of child marriage who spoke to Zaa news on behalf of the women in the community stated that, they are not happy with their young children going into Kayaye in the south because it leads to teenage pregnancy and forced marriages.
Some selected households were trained by NORSAAC in collaboration with the Tolon district’s Department of Community Development and the NCCE.
The trainees are educated on how to use the child protection manual developed by UNICEF and the Government of Ghana for easy appreciation of the issues affecting children. They are expected to use the knowledge acquired to trigger discussions on child protection issues in homes in their communities.
The project officer of NORSAAC, Miss Yeri explained that children at every stage of their lives, need certain things to ensure proper growth and development, so parents must do well to provide those needs which include their emotional needs.
By;Prince Kwame Tamakloe/zaaradio.com
