While the prevalence of child marriage in Ghana has declined over the past three decades, progress has not been even within regions. The key drivers of child marriage are multiple and multi-faceted and are linked to gender inequality, poverty, social norms, cultural and traditional practices as well as teenage pregnancy.

Child Early and Forced Marriage (CEFM) persists in Ghana because of deep-seated socio- cultural and religious impediments to the full enforcement and implementation of laws and policies respectively.

Nov 12, 2019 · This study sought to identify the predictors of child marriage in Ghana and explored norms and practices surrounding child marriage as well as how the phenomenon can be addressed. It is worth noting that girls aged 12–15 years compared to girls aged 16–17 years who are sexually active, married or mothers raise different issues.

Ghana’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice has signed up to the Kigali Declaration on Child, Early and Forced Marriage, whereby National Human Rights Institutions specifically declare and commit to concrete action on preventing child marriage.

In the year 2014, the Government of Ghana accepted the universal call to end child marriage in accordance with several international conventions and declarations and took measurable steps to address the issue comprehensively across the nation.

The analysis in this report provides an evidence-based description of the practice of child marriage in Ghana. It is intended to offer insights into ways that the government and other stakeholders can act to strengthen their approach to ending child marriage.

To assess the prevalence of child marriage, this analysis used SDG indicator 5.3.1 – the proportion of women aged 20 to 24 years who were married or in a union before age 18. Levels of child marriage can also be measured among women aged 18 to 19 years; in Ghana, the prevalence of child marriage among this age group is 16 per cent.

Apr 22, 2024 · Child marriage in Ghana violates Article 16(2) of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that “Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.”

In Ghana, one in five girls marry before their 18th birthday and one in 20 girls is married before her 15th birthday. This paper uses a unique dataset from Northern Ghana to examine the association between child marriage and adverse outcomes for women among a uniquely vulnerable population.

Jun 22, 2024 · With more than 90% of child brides in Ghana aged between 15 and 17 out of school, compared with 18% of their peers, according to UNICEF data, child marriage disempowers girls by cutting them off from their potential and preventing them from engaging in their communities and Ghana’s labor market.