About 41.6% of the child population in Ghana is recorded to be married off before they turn age 18 according to statistics provided by the UNICEF.
This alarming stats have caused actress Kafui Danku, one of the ambassadors against the campaign by UNICEF to speak against the unpardonable act.
In a Facebook post of the actress sighted by zionfelix.net, Kafui states her worry about this problem. She makes the point that the institution of marriage is a complicated one and a such, people should not force children who cannot comprehend most of the basic things in life into such an institution.
She goes on to pin down other very distasteful facts of child marriages. Check out her full post below:
“I WORRY about the reason behind marrying off little girls…
People, let’s be hard on the truth and say it this way, if marriage: does not give a man the right to ‘rape’ his wife, then CHILD MARRIAGE should be treated with disdain!
Marriage is too complicated a thing to force on a little girl, and as if that is not enough she is expected to bare him children, all before the age she can vote. Let’s face it; grown women and men are leaving marriages because they don’t understand it enough to handle it.
He is not a man if he seeks intentionally and knowingly to harm a little girl he’s expected to protect.
I learned about the first female pediatric surgeon in Ghana, Prof. Afua Hesse about 3 years ago,This is but one of many examples of what our little girls can become .
One cannot over state the need for society to protect our youth, our future, and especially our LITTLE GIRLS. There is nothing to gain by forcing them into such uncomfortable situations, all we do by that is not only stifle their development and potentials, but also make them go through a lot of pain, mentally , physically and emotionally since they’re often treated as prisoners and slaves.
MARRIAGE IS NOT THE ULTIMATE PURPOSE or ACHIEVEMENT of a woman…. This is a plea to all, let the girls grow into something more.
On the podium, after every achievement, all speeches recognise two beings constantly, a GOD and a MOTHER. This tells us the role and importance of women who become mothers play in our lives. Let us keep that in mind when we require a little girl to become one.
What experience would she have to bring up her kids, what experience would she have to support her husband, how would she impact their lives? If she was not allowed to see her full potentials . Being a little girl should not hurt!
Behind every successful man, they say is a woman, NOT A CHILD !
#EndChildMarriage #Unicef
Thank you @unicef, I’m happy to be a part of this very important campaign.”