By Mildred Siabi-Mensah
Sekondi, March 01, GNA – The ambition of the family of a 15-year-old girl to marry her off, has been foiled through a coordinated effort by the Human Rights Development Services, (HURDS), an NGO and some key government agencies.
At the time of the rescue mission involving a combine team from the NGO, Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, the family was busily preparing food for the marriage ceremony.
Madam Eva Ankrah, the Executive Director of HURDS, said her organisation upon a tipped off, began making preparation for a safe home where the girl could be placed after rescue.
“So, when we secured the place, with the help of the Department of Social Welfare, we brought in the Police to rescue the girl to a safe home,” she added.
Madam Ankrah reminded families of the Children Act, which prohibited the marriage of children and called on them to rather support the girl child to achieve her fullest potential.
Child marriages had perpetuated the cycle of poverty among womanhood and must not be countenanced, she added.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection recently launched a child marriage portal to collate data for action on such bad behaviours by families, to help the country to achieve its target of ending the practice by 2030.
In Ghana, millions of girls have over the years, suffered this dangerous socio-cultural ill.
Madam Ankrah noted that her organisation had started counselling the rescued girl on the repercussions of child marriage and hoped to engage the families for the same education, to create awareness and enhance information on why families must together abhor the practice.
GNA