ActionAid Ghana’s multi-stakeholder conference on child marriage has stimulated action against the menace of child marriage and teenage pregnancy as the acts posed a grave risk to the nation’s future.
Traditional leaders, representatives from the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), regional and district level Heads of Departments and survivors of child marriage, among others attended the conference in Wa.
Held on the theme: “Addressing the Root Causes of Child Marriage: The Role of Stakeholders”, it was the second in a series of conferences aimed at ending child marriage in Ghana and the Upper West Region in particular.
Speaking at the conference, Mr John Nkaw, the Country Director of ActionAid Ghana (AAG), said winning the fight against child marriage required consistent and accountable stakeholder collaboration.
He said despite several interventions over the years, child marriage remained “a stubborn and deeply rooted challenge in Ghana”, shrinking the future of many girls.
“There is no gainsaying that the practice robs our girls of their education, their health, their voices, and their future … it robs our communities and our nation of the immense potential that lies within every girl.
The fight against child marriage is not just a fight for the girl child, it is a fight for social justice, for equality, for development”, Mr Nkaw indicated.
He reported that 32 cases of abduction and elopement were recorded in the Sissala East Municipality alone in 2024, out of which 14 girls were rescued and reintegrated into their communities.
The Upper West Region Health Directorate reported that the region recorded 788 Antenatal Care (ANC) registrations of girls from ten to 19 years in the first quarter of 2025 against 732 and 712 recorded in the same period of 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Mr Nkaw said AAG was committed to collaborating with institutions and individuals towards combating child marriage and related issues such as teenage pregnancy.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, observed that safeguarding the rights and dignity of the girl child required stronger stakeholder collaborations.
He expressed concern that child marriage had forced many girls into adult responsibilities for which they were not mentally and physically prepared.
Mr Puozuing reiterated the government’s resolve to addressing the menace through multi-sectoral and gender-responsive strategies.
Madam Charity Batuure, the Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Gender, mentioned proper post-management of survivors of Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV) as necessary in addressing these menaces.
She said proper reintegration of survivors of child marriage into their communities through apprenticeship training, for instance, would help build their resilience against child marriage.
ASP Stella Niabi, the Upper West Regional DOVVSU Coordinator, gave account of cases of SGBV in the region, including child marriage currently before the court, stressing the need for men’s involvement in the fight against the canker.
Madam Abiba Nibaradun, the Upper West Regional Programmes Manager of ActionAid Ghana, appealed to influential persons in society not to interfere in the prosecution of SGBV cases.
The conference was part of activities under AAG’s Country Strategic Paper VII, particularly Strategic Priority two, which focuses on women’s rights and decent work.
It was also in furtherance of Goal 5 of the Agenda 2030, which sought to achieve gender equality and empower all women by 2030.