A 63-year-old Ga priest and a 13-year-old girl were married in a ceremony that has drawn harsh criticism from the Paediatric Society of Ghana (PSG), which denounced it as child marriage.
Following the release of a video online showing the ceremony that married him to Naa Okromo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh XXXIII, the Gborbu Wulomo, came under with intense criticism.
The crowd-drawing traditional marriage happened in Nungua on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
Gborbu Wulomo defended himself in the face of criticism, saying that the girl would not be required to perform marital duties. PSG voiced their deep concern about the occurrence and emphasized that child marriage is prohibited by The Children’s Act of 1998 in a statement dated April 1, 2024. PSG also emphasized the risks associated with these practices, such as permanent harm to the child’s schooling, mental and reproductive health, and overall development.
The organization emphasized the need for help from both domestic and international partners like UNICEF and WHO and urged for a strong national commitment from lawmakers and traditional leaders to end child marriage.
“The PSG strongly condemns any act or perception or facilitation of Child Marriage. On the right to refuse betrothal and marriage, The Children’s Act, 1998 states: No person shall force a child (age less than 18 years) to be betrothed, to be the subject of a dowry transaction or to be married”, it said in a statement.
It added: “The perceived acceptance of child marriages and the open brazen approval or defence of the practice by influential leaders of the community have the potential to embolden certain deviant behaviours like paedophilia. Child marriages are dangerous. Both real and so-called arranged informal unions where the child is supposedly a symbolic wife and not expected to perform any marital duties including conjugal duties are dangerous”.
“The preventable damage to the child’s development, reproductive and mental health and education can be irreversible and generational.”
“We will support the efforts of government and all partners to protect the best interest of every child everywhere in Ghana. This calls for strong national commitment at the highest level of the political, traditional, health, educational, judicial and media landscape, with unwavering support from our international partners like UNICEF and WHO.”
