Chile marriage: victims urged to lead crusade

Mr. Isaac Robson Klu, Kadjebi District Director, Social Welfare and Community Development, has appealed to victims of girl-child marriages to lead the crusade to eliminate the child marriage menace.

This, he said, they could do through the reporting of perpetrators to the appropriate offices for prosecution, avoiding bad company, avoid pre-marital sex, and avoiding predators.

He said educating girls, empowering girls, economic support to the needy girls and families would also help end the menace.

Mr. Klu, who made these statements at a day’s workshop at Kadjebi organised for 30 schoolgirls drawn from 10 schools in the district, said the 1992 Constitution, Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Juvenile Justice Act, 2006, Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), among others prohibited such marriages.

The District Director reiterated the need for parents to desist from marrying off girls, but rather provide them with their basic needs and protect them from early sex.

He said poverty, ignorance, lack of parental care, peer influence, religious and culture factors accounted for most of the child marriage cases in the country.

Mr. Klu, who did a presentation on Child Marriage and Sexual Violence, advised the participants to be careful of predators as they would impregnate and dump them thus ruining their lives.

He admonished the girls to resist any attempt to touch their sensitive parts without consent as evidence of aggression would be needed before the law could catch up with perpetrators.

The District Director said women and girls were most vulnerable to sexual violence, so societies most help change the trend.

Mr. Wilson Kwami Agbanyo, Kadjebi District Chief Executive, asked participants to share knowledge acquired with peers to help stop child marriage. “You are our future leaders, so stay away from bad company,” he said.

Mr. Agbanyo said society is looking up to them, so they should not disappoint by dropping out of school.