Africa-Press – Ghana. Chiefs have been urged to lead the campaign against early child marriages and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in their communities.
Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi II, President of the National House of Chiefs (NHC), who made the call, said chiefs and other traditional leaders had the responsibility to commit to the elimination of child marriage and FGM, while ensuring the protection of young females in their various communities.
Speaking at a workshop on child marriage and FGM in Kumasi, he said child marriage and FGM were “barbaric practices and must be totally wiped out in this day and age of civilization.”
The workshop was organised by the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) in collaboration with Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA) and Obaapa Development Foundation.
It was aimed at equipping traditional leaders on the existing laws on child marriage and help them to be champions of change.
Again, it aimed at educating the chiefs to be abreast with the existing laws and regulations on child marriage and FGM.
Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi, pointed out that, it was sad that child marriage and FGM were still going on in some of the communities.
He said chiefs should not ignore or pretend they were not aware of what was happening.
He stressed the need to address extreme poverty which often led parents and relatives to give their children to early marriage.
“Do not ‘water down’ the seriousness of child marriage and FGM, because the maturity of the female anatomy was critical for every female”, he stated.
Ogyeahoho Yaw Gyebi said chiefs were capable helping to eliminate these harmful practices, which could also affect the health and emotional development of young girls.
Mr. Evans Amo Twumasi, Chief Executive of Sekyere South District Assembly, said these outdated cultural practices affected the rights of female children, their education and future.
He said it was the responsibility of all key stakeholders to come together to eliminate them and stressed the need to strengthen partnerships to create comprehensive strategies to erase it from communities.
Mr. Wilfred Ochan, Country Representative of UNFPA, said chieftaincy was the centre of the solution and called on stakeholders to have a united partnership with chiefs and traditional leaders to eliminate these harmful practices.
He said chiefs had the power to shape the customs, promote social norms and reject child marriages.
Madam Mercy Larbi, Deputy Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said the Commission recorded about 150 complaints of child marriages in 2024.
This, she said was an indication that, the practice was still prevalence in communities.
She said there was absolutely no benefit of FGM, and this practice was unacceptable, adding that, they were specific actions and behaviours that were rooted in culture, which violated human rights.
Nana Adwoa Awindor, Chief Executive Officer of Obaapa Development Foundation, mentioned some health implications like fistula which affected girls who went through FGM.
She said the influence of chiefs were pivotal in bringing about positive social change and an end to these practices.
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