12-year-old marriage to Ga Priest: Situate the Child In the Context of the Law- Child Rights International
The Executive Director of Child Right International, Mr. Bright Appiah, has said that there was a need to situate the 12-year-old girl who got married to the 63-year-old Chief Priest in the context of what the law says.
He explained that whether it is a religious and traditional rite or even a civil action that involves a child, what the law says about child marriage is explicitly clear.
Speaking on News 360 on TV3 on Monday, April 1, Bright Appiah said, “This particular issue is a bit complex because of some of the explanations we are getting from them and the investigations that we have also carried out, things that are coming out. In this particular issue, we should not just look at it in the context of fulfilling a tradition but also look at how we can protect the rights of children who are involved in this particular matter."
He added, “All the explanations that we have gathered from them and also speaking to some traditional people in the area point to the fact that indeed, this is a custom that they do to make sure people perform specific duties, and the purpose of performing that duty is that the person should be a virgin. So irrespective of the age bracket, it is expected that somebody must perform that rite, but because it is about the child, we have to situate the child in the context of the law because there is so much that protects the interests of children, so whether it is a religious activity, a traditional activity, or a civil act, the position of the law in respect of what the child is should also be taken into consideration in performing some of these rites.”
This statement comes on the heels of the recent alleged customary marriage between the 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo of Nungua and a 12-year-old girl.
This action, according to child rights activists and other human rights lawyers, speaks against the alleged customary marriage between the Gborbu Wulomo and the 12-year-old child.
However, statements coming from the Nungua traditional council state that the ceremony is void of any conjugal activity.
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