The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development-Kadjebi District Sensitizes Pupils and Victims of early marriages and to Lead the Crusade Towards Eliminating the Child Marriage Menace
The Department of Social Welfare and Community Development-Kadjebi District Sensitized 30 school girls drawn from 10 schools and Victims of early marriages to Lead the Crusade towards Eliminating the Child Marriage Menace. This took place on 27th February, 2023 at the Assembly Hall-Kadjebi.
During the sensitization, the Head of Department; Rev. Isaac Robson Klu appealed to victims of girl-child marriages to lead the crusade to eliminate the child marriage menace. This, he said, they could do through reporting of perpetrators to the appropriate offices for prosecution, avoiding bad company, avoid premarital sex, and avoiding predators. He added that, measures such as educating, empowering and providing economic support to the needy girls and families would also help end the menace.
The DCD; Mr. Alhassan Sulemana also reiterated the need for parents to desist from marrying off girls, but rather provide them with their basic needs and protect them from early sex. He said poverty, ignorance, lack of parental care, peer influence, religious and culture factors accounted for most of the child marriage cases in the District and Country at large.
Mr. Klu, who did a presentation on Child Marriage and Sexual Violence, advised the participants to be careful of predators as they would impregnate and dump them thus ruining their lives. He admonished the girls to resist any attempt to touch their sensitive parts without consent as evidence of aggression would be needed before the law could catch up with perpetrators.
Hon. Wilson Agbanyo; the DCE for Kadjebi District, entreated participants to share knowledge acquired with peers to help stop child marriage. “You are our future leaders, so stay away from bad company,” he said. Hon. Agbanyo said society is looking up to them, so they should not disappoint by dropping out of school.