Child Marriage
What child marriage is, why it happens, how it harms girls and boys, and how communities can prevent it.
What is child marriage?
Child marriage is any formal marriage or informal union in which one or both parties is under the age of eighteen. In Ghana, the law sets eighteen as the minimum age of marriage.
What drives child marriage
- Poverty, and the belief that marriage will reduce the cost of caring for a daughter
- Social and traditional norms about girls and early marriage
- Teenage pregnancy and pressure to "protect family honour"
- Limited access to education, especially for girls
The effects
Child marriage often ends a girl's education and limits her future choices. Early pregnancy carries serious health risks for young mothers and their babies. Married children are more likely to experience violence and isolation. Child marriage also keeps families and communities in cycles of poverty.
How communities can prevent it
- Keep girls in school and support their return after pregnancy.
- Traditional, religious and community leaders can publicly refuse to bless or perform marriages involving children.
- Parents can talk openly with children about their rights and futures.
- Young people can speak up for friends at risk.
Reporting
If you know of a child at risk of, or in, a marriage, report to the Department of Social Welfare, DOVVSU of the Ghana Police Service, or your district assembly's social welfare officer.