According to African Education Watch (EduWatch), girls who complete secondary school and beyond are 95% less likely to become victims of child marriage.
In a statement issued to commemorate the International Day of the Girl (IDG), 2022, Eduwatch stated that the underlying condition for a child-free society is a strong foundation of education and skill training for girls, particularly the poor.
“Around one in every four girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide is not enrolled in school, work, or training.” Due to economic and socio-cultural factors such as child marriage, there are an estimated 418,000 out-of-school children in Ghana, many of whom are girls.
According to UNICEF, one out of every five girls in Ghana is married before the age of 18, limiting their ability to complete basic and secondary education or pursue any form of skills or vocational training.”
According to the policy think tank, the situation in northern Ghana is dire, with one out of every three girls marrying before the age of 18.
At the recently concluded Global Citizens Festival, President Akufo-Addo pledged to mobilise resources to end child marriage in Ghana and throughout Africa.
Eduwatch, on the other hand, believes that efforts to end child marriage must begin with preventing teenage pregnancy and resourcing social protection and justice sector institutions mandated to prevent child marriage, protect rescued girls from further exploitation, and arrest and prosecute perpetrators.
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The education think tank also urged the government and stakeholders to make more targeted investments in providing equitable, quality education and skills training for girls, particularly those from low-income families, as well as to resource social protection and justice sector institutions to combat child marriage.”
According to Eduwatch, this year’s theme, “Our time is now – our rights, our future,” emphasises the need to deepen commitments and actions toward enhancing the rights of girls around the world.
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