The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has asked the Nungua Traditional Council to review its traditional practices and refrain from actions that may have a negative impact on the youth of Nungua.
This comes after a marriage between of a 12-year-old girl and a 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo, at Nungua in the Greater Accra Region went viral on social media.
The ceremony took place on March 30, 2024, and has sparked outrage among Ghanaians, leading to calls for the arrest of the 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo.
Reacting to the issue in a statement dated April 2, 2024 NCCE reminded the Ga Traditional Council of the Children’s Act, Act 560 of 1998, which states that the minimum age of marriage shall be 18 years and prohibits forcing a child into betrothal, dowry transactions, or marriage.
The NCCE also mentioned Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which recognizes the existence of ethnic groups in the country but also abolishes traditional practices that are injurious to an individual’s health and well-being.
The commission has since called for the intervention of the National and Regional Houses of Chiefs, the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, and the Department of Social Welfare to ensure the protection of the child’s best interests and the removal of child marriages from customary practices.
“The NCCE wishes to remind the Ga Traditional Council that the Children’s Act, Act 560 of 1998, Section 13, (1&2) provides that “The minimum age of marriage of whatever kind shall be eighteen years”. It is also worth pointing out that the same section of the Children’s Act says that “No person shall force a child (a) to be betrothed; (b) to be the subject of a dowry transaction; or (c) to be married”.
“While the Nungua Traditional Council contends that this union is voluntary, it is unclear to the NCCE how a pre-pubescent, pre-teen minor can consent to such an arrangement,” the NCCE said in a statement.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com | Vivian Adu
