According to data released by the Ghana Statistical Service in 2022, a concerning number of girls in Ghana, aged between 12 and 17, are either married or living with a man. Specifically, the data reveals that 79,733 girls fall into this category, with nearly 26,000 of them falling within the age range of 12 to 14, which is typically associated with junior high school attendance.
Regional disparities are evident, with the Northeast, Savannah, and Northern regions recording the highest percentages of girls affected by child marriage. These rates are more than double the national average of four per cent.
Furthermore, a report from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) in 2017 highlights the disproportionate impact of child marriage on girls compared to boys. While only two per cent of boys aged twenty to twenty-four were married before eighteen, a staggering twenty-one per cent of girls faced early marriage.
The MoGCSP identifies several factors contributing to the prevalence of child marriage in Ghana. Poverty, lack of education, cultural norms, religious beliefs, teenage pregnancy, and geographical location all play significant roles. Rural areas and economically disadvantaged backgrounds are particularly vulnerable, with girls from these settings more likely to become child brides. Additionally, the report underscores the correlation between education level and early marriage, noting that uneducated or low-educated girls are at higher risk.
One underlying cause is the societal stigma associated with teenage pregnancies, which often leads families to resort to early marriage to preserve their perceived honour. This phenomenon reflects deep-seated cultural attitudes and underscores the need for comprehensive efforts to address the root causes of child marriage in Ghana.