By Laudia Sawer, GNA
Tema, July 9, GNA – One in three girls in the developing world are said to be married before 18 years, and marriages have health implications for the girl child, Mrs. Matilda Banfro, Greater Accra Regional Director of the Department of Gender, has stated.
Mrs. Banfro said any formal marriage or informal union involving one or both parties under 18 years was child marriage.
To put an end to child marriage and its implications, the Department of Gender in collaboration with the Tema West Municipal Assembly (TWMA) has engaged communities within the Tema West Municipality on measures to curb the worrying trend.
Speaking at the engagement, Mrs. Banfro said more than 30 percent of women were married before their 18th birthday, adding that if it did not see any reduction, an additional 1.2 billion girls would be married by 2050 with some marrying as young as eight and nine years.
She observed that child marriage impacted greatly on the health of the girls who marry as children and stated that when girls first marry, they faced intense social pressure to prove their fertility leading to a high rate of adolescent pregnancy.
Mrs. Banfro added that child marriage was both a cause and consequence of adolescent pregnancy as according to her, 90 percent of adolescent births in the developing world were to girls who were already married or in a union.
She noted that early pregnancy and sex also exposed the girls to contracting Fistula, and cervical cancer.
Another consequence of child marriage, she noted was gender-based violence, explaining that about one in three women and girls experienced physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime.
She noted that child marriage was a manifestation of this violence, as it put women and girls at increased risk of sexual, physical, and psychological violence and its related outcomes such as poor health and depression throughout their lives.
The Greater Accra Regional Director of the Department of Gender further said child marriage also promotes female genital mutilation to prevent the girls from being promiscuous.
Another health effect of child marriage she noted, was the high probability of contracting HIV as adolescent girls were disproportionately affected by HIV, adding that globally, three in five infections among 15 to 24 years old concern girls and young women.
She stressed that when a girl marries as a child, the health of her children suffers too as the children were at higher risk of low birth weight, preterm delivery, and severe neonatal conditions, as well as being more likely to suffer from malnutrition and stunting throughout childhood.
According to her, child marriage was rooted in gender inequality and was made worse by poverty, lack of education, harmful social norms and practices, and insecurity.
She encouraged girls who were being forced into marriage to report it to District Assemblies, Social Welfare Department, Police, CHRAJ, and other state-mandated agencies on the toll-free number 0800 800 800, 0800 900 900 for action to be taken against the perpetrators.
She reminded parents, guardians, and traditional leaders that the Children’s Act 560 criminalized and prohibited children below 18 years from getting married.
GNA
