Early and forced marriages are often driven by poverty – Bawku Queen mother

The Paramount Queen Mother of the Bawku Traditional Area, Pua-Naab Alasbuudi, has stated that early and forced marriages are often driven by poverty leading to many parents and families’ withdrawing their daughters from school and forcing them into marriage to relieve their financial burdens. 

According to her, evidence based research has established that this negative practice is inimical to child development because child and early marriage robs the young girl of the opportunity to be physically, psychologically, emotionally and financially ready for the responsibilities of marriage and childbearing. 

The Upper East Region has a child marriage prevalence of 50%, the highest in the country. 

A greater number of girls between 15 and 18 years are entering marriage, often against their will. 

Speaking to Radio Ghana’s Samuel Ayammah in Bawku, Pua-Naab Alasbuudi described the situation as unacceptable and called for urgent action across all sectors. 

The Paramount Queen Mother said delaying marriage and childbirth can further protect girls from the risks of HIV infection, death during childbirth, and debilitating medical conditions like obstetric fistula.  

To this end, ending child marriage preserves a girl’s childhood, promote her right to an education, reduce her exposure to violence and abuse, and contribute to breaking cycles of poverty that are passed down from one generation to the next. 

The Paramount Queen Mother said her outfit together with the divisional queen mothers in the area has begun organizing sensitization programmes to curb the menace.  

Meanwhile, the Paramount Queen Mother revealed that Female Genital Mutilation, FGM, seems to be on the increase in the Bawku Municipality and its environs as parents are still carrying out the act secretly. 

She explained that most girls are lured to neighboring countries by their parents or close relatives, where they are forcibly circumcised.  

Though concerted efforts have been made over the years to address the challenge, the act is still practiced in Bawku, Mognori, Pusiga, Widaana, Zong-Natinga and Mandango, despite the ban. 

Pua-Naab Alasbuudi said in the quest to end the injurious practice, it is incumbent on all concerned to join in the fight against the menace. 

She said FGM and other obsolete customary practices in the Upper East Region retarded the development of girls.   

She called on stakeholders to expedite action on finding an antidote to the issue as it was the major factor for the falling standards of education, especially girls in the area.

Story by Ayammah Samuel


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