Early marriage and child betrothal remain the two major factors hampering girl child education in the Northern Region.
At some communities in the area, young girls below 18 are being forced by their parents into early marriage.
[contextly_sidebar id=”53lBVoeSXUnkOVNhj7X0pZKhHYedGVZE”]This worrisome situation has incurred the wrath of the Northern Women Traditional Leaders Association (NWTLA) which has called for an immediate end to early marriage, child betrothal and other outmoded customary practices which are inhibiting girl child education.
Queen Mother of Bole Traditional Area who doubles as Coordinator of the Northern Women Traditional Leaders Association, Kansawurche Veronica Azara Bukari raised alarm over these practices which are prevalent in deprived communities.
She spoke to Citi News on the sidelines at a day’s capacity building workshop organized by the Northern Regional House of Chiefs under the Auspices of the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture.
Kansawurche V.A Bukari said the Northern Women and Traditional Leaders Association was collaborating with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to eradicate all forms of girl child oppression.
“We are working with the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection on various programmes such as domestic violence, early and forced marriages, obstetric mutilation and fistula.”
Also as General Secretary of the National Council Women Traditional Area, she encouraged all women traditional leaders in the region to dispirit the mass exodus of female children from rural communities to the south.
“As Queen mothers we should agree with the community members on discouraging the youth on going to “Kayaye” emphasizing the disadvantages which are teenage pregnancy with its attendant health risk to the mother and baby since their future is jeopardized: most of them dropout of school and the girl suffers most disappointing her parents because the boy child can still continue to school.”
She further urged women traditional leaders in the Northern Region to encourage their people to report rape and defilement cases to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.
“We should educate our people to report rape cases to DOVVSU because it sis criminal and we should not condone it: we should partner with research and advocacy institutions to undertake and evaluate traditional customs and usages with the view of eliminating practices that are socially harmful in the various traditional areas in the region such as the Female Genital Mutilation.”
She stressed, “We should strengthen partnership with the media and other women organizations and advocacy groups both in the traditional and modern development objectives: we should encourage and promote co-operation and collaboration between Queen Mothers to support activities that discourage violence against women, children, youth and vulnerable groups.”
On women empowerment, Kansawurche V.A Bukari said the Northern Region women traditional leaders were working with Non Governmental Organizations particularly the Northern Rural Growth to economically empower women.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/Citifmonline.com/Ghana