The campaign, which is part of the Ghanaians Against Child Abuse (GACA) project and sponsored by UNICEF, was on the theme: For our Bright Future, End Child Marriage Now”.

The forum at Ekon was interspersed with drama by the CNC’s Drama troupe on Child marriage.

The project would be replicated in other beneficiary communities including Bantuma, Baakano, Abrem Essiam, Komenda and Ankwanda in the Komenda Edina Eguafo Abrem municipality.

Other communities to benefit from the project include Efutu Mampong, Efutu koforidua, Ntsin and Essuekyir in the Cape Coast Metropolitan area and Kormantse, Abandze, Kuntu, Ankaful and Hini in the Mfantseman Municipality.

The campaign aims to address the drivers of child marriage in the communities and to reduce the incidence of child marriage in the region.

Campaign

The Public Relations Officer and Focal Person for UNICEF activities for the CNC, Oduah Kwesi Sampson, explained that the campaign focuses on shedding light on the multi-faceted drivers of child marriage which were linked to gender inequality, poverty, social norms cultural and traditional practices, as well as teenage pregnancy.

He added that five communities each in the selected districts would benefit from the project.

He emphasised that the project would harness effectively the power of theatre to educate and inspire community members and stakeholders to collectively combat the canker of child marriage.

Detective Sergeant Richard Boadi Twum, an investigator with the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit, explained that in the 1992 Constitution, any person under the age of 18 was a child and could, therefore, not marry or be married off.

He stated that there are laws and regulations aimed at preventing and prohibiting child marriage, as well as providing support and protection for children who may be at risk of being forced into such marriages.

He urged the participants to report for further action to be taken to prevent child marriage and ensure the protection of the child.

A representative From the National Commission for Civic Education, Florence Sackey, noted that parents neglecting their responsibilities to their children was one of the major causes of child marriage in the country.

She observed that some parents go to the extent of demanding money from their teenagers who fall prey to men who are willing to give them money just to take advantage of them and abuse them.

The Assembly member for Ekon, John Mensah, thanked the Centre for National Culture and UNICEF for the education and called on all parents to enrol their children in school to prevent child marriage in their community.

Stakeholders from the Ghana Education Service, the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), the Social Welfare Department and the National Commission for Civic Education gave presentations on key drivers of child marriage.

Participants signed a commitment banner to pledge their commitment to ending child marriage.