The book, authored by Naomi Adjei, Matilda Agyapong and Eugenia Agyapong, all in their early 20s, talks about a young girl who protested against her parents’ decision to force her into marriage due to poverty in her family, almost shattering her dreams of becoming a medical doctor. The intervention of some civil organisations made her realise her dream.

At the launch of the book in Accra last Thursday, the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Ms Otiko Afisa Djaba, noted that child marriage was on the rise because of poverty, outmoded customs and traditions, as well as deeply rooted patriarchal norms. 

She said it had also been observed that stigmatisation of teenagers who become pregnant in some communities and the perception that the girls were a financial burden to families also encouraged such practice.

Government’s priority

“Ending child marriage remains a priority for the Government of Ghana and the sector ministry, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and stakeholders, has taken significant steps towards the promotion and coordination of national initiatives aimed at ending child marriage in Ghana to ensure the promotion and protection of the rights of all children in the country,” Ms Djaba assured.

She also said her ministry, in consultation with key stakeholders, has developed a National Strategic Framework on ending child marriage, with the implementation of appropriate strategies and key measures by stakeholders from different sectors of society.

The minister commended the authors of the book for their bold initiative and called on all to make various contributions to support the fight to end child marriage.  

In their respective statements, the authors said they wrote the book based on the realities pertaining in some parts of the country and hoped the campaign to stop child marriage would go far.