Accra, Ghana: 3-4 March 2014

Early and forced marriage is a violation of human rights that affects 39,000 girls every day. Despite the international community’s prohibition of this harmful practice as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Conventions on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and efforts in national legislatures around the world to modify the legal age for both boys and girls to reach 18, the reality is that it remains a threat to the health, security and well-being of girls.

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), in collaboration with the Parliament of Ghana and Women in Law and Development (WILDAF), have undertaken an advocacy program in Ghana to assess current legislation and national policies on early and forced marriage that seeks to enhance the capacity of Members of Parliament in Ghana to effectively address the structural elements. This Program is financially supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada (DFATD).

The results of this assessment informed the design of a Parliamentary Seminar to Combat Child, Early and Forced Marriage in Ghana that took place in Accra, Ghana on 3-4 March 2014.

The purpose of the seminar was to discuss the challenges and gaps in implementation of national legislation on preventing early and forced marriage, identify measures that can be taken to address these gaps, and share best practices and lessons learned from other countries to strengthen laws that prevent and eliminate child, early and forced marriage. MPs from Africa and Asia participated and shared experiences with their Ghanaian colleagues. At the closing ceremony, Parliamentarians from Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania and Zimbabwe adopted a Statement of Commitment.

Among the pledges, participating MPs committed to raising awareness of the value of the girl child and the importance of keeping girls in school; call for public dialogue with religious and traditional leaders to address the root causes of early marriage; amend or adopt legislation to effectively reduce the prevalence of early and forced marriage; and monitor and increase budget allocations for programs that empower girls through education and skills acquisition; reproductive health; and HIV/AIDS prevention, among other actions.      

For more information, please contact Mónica Adame, PGA’s Program Officer, at monica.adame@pgaction.org .