Gender Ministry hasn’t done much to protect children, vulnerable in society – Sosu

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina and Human Rights lawyers, Francis-Xavier Sosu, is calling on the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to up their game in protecting the vulnerable in society.

He said that over the past seven years, the Ministry has not done much to protect children and the vulnerable in the country.

His call comes on the back of UNICEF’s 2022 population and housing report’s revelation that there are two million child brides out of the 8.3 million total marriages in Ghana.

However, the constitution abolishes all forms of child marriage in the country.

Speaking to Alfred Ocansey on Ghana Tonight on Monday, April 1, lawyer Sosu underscored that the statistics are worrying because the constitution and all other laws abolish any form of child marriage.

“This is a very worrying trend and for me, I fear for the future of young girls in Ghana, and the future of Ghana because when you have a population that shows that females or women are more and we don’t have enough protection for our women. Then the country is heading to a doom because the female gender is not protected or supported,” he stated.

He continued by emphasising that “at the end of the day, you want to count on the same people to be the future leaders or to actually be the people to anchor the future of our generation or the future of this nation, and I think that is a very worrying trend.”

Lawyer Francis-Xavier Sosu therefore challenged the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to step in on the matter of the 12-year-old girl being married to a 63-year-old Nungua Gborbu Wulomo.

“I want to challenge the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection that they need to really up their games. I mean in the last seven years, I haven’t seen the ministry done much in protecting the vulnerable class, particularly women and children, and that is very worrying,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, the Madina lawmaker had hinted at petitioning the Inspector General of Police (IGP) over the matter of the 12-year-old girl.

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• The minimum age for marriage in Ghana is 18yrs – Nana Oye on marriage of 12-yr-old girl to 63-yr-old Chief Priest

He demands that the priest be arrested and prosecuted, and if found to be guilty, he must go to jail, indicating that “marriage by law is a union between two consenting adults and not an adult and a minor.”

He stressed that there is no justification for the action of the 63-year-old Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII.

However, the Police Service has indicated that the 12-year-old and her mother have been rescued and are currently under police protection.

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