Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana, Ron Strikker, have advised Ghana to prioritize the fight against child marriage because it is inimical to the development of the nation.
Speaking at a 5-day girls camp programme which was organized by Plan International Ghana in Nungua – Accra, he stated that fighting against child marriage its very essential to every country’s growth therefore he is excited to know that Plan International Ghana in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES) and Girls Advocacy Alliance (GAA) have teamed up to fight against this child marriage which is gradually becoming a menace in Africa and other parts of the continent , he assured that the Netherlands Government is fully behind Plan International Ghana against the fight of these unscrupulous act.
Acting country director of Plan International Ghana, Mr. Asum-Kwateng Ahensah stated that the objectives of the programme were: to expose girls to issues affecting their growth and development and teach them how to resist such acts.
He said girls’ rights are human rights therefore all children and young people including girls, have the fundamental human right to live free from violence. He noted that gender- based violence remain predominant and this have affected girls and women the most , which is very bad . he said the root causes of these gender based violence are discriminatory social norms and unequal power dynamics boys and girls, he said these can be changed by normalizing violence against girls and women.
He said ‘ Plan International strongly condemns the practice of child, early and forced marriage and calls for the prohibition of the practice under national and customary law, and for the full and effective enforcement of these laws because its in line with committee on the rights of the child general comment’.
source: Modernafrika.com
