Story By: Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang
The executive director for Savannah Women Integrated Development Agency (SWIDA-GH) Hajia Halima Saeed Sagito has called on stakeholders in the Karaga district to protect girls by fighting against child marriage and all forms of child abuse in the district.
She made this statement at the Karaga district assembly on the 28th of July 2021 during a high level district dialogue organized by her organization, SWIDA-GH in partnership with World Vision International Ghana on the theme “Ending child trafficking and violence against children: The role of traditional and religious leaders”
She noted that, the fight against child marriage and all forms of child abuse is not just a fight for SWIDA-GH and WVI but that, it takes a collective efforts from all the stakeholders presents and those not present at the event. In attendance of the event included, religions leaders, parents, heads of department at the district assembly, education unit, police, CHRAJ, school children and youth group.
Each group presented action points that they will tackle at their level to see to it that child marriage and child trafficking become a thing of the past in the district. The participants all agreed that child marriage undermines the growth and development of young girls and robbed the nation of productive youth who could contribute towards national development.
The National “End Child Marriage Now Campaign” Coordinator at the WVI, Madam Barbara Asare Yeboah said the campaign was an initiative to reduce cases of child marriages by five per cent in the country through rolled out interventions that targeted key actors, including traditional and religious authorities, young girls and NGOs, to achieve set out objectives.
She added that the campaign was aimed at influencing national policies that protect children from abuse and also mobilize young people to empower them and build their capacities to be lead advocates against child marriages in their communities.