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Original
Ghana Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs don clear air on di real age of di child bride wey marry one 63-year-old traditional priest for di kontri.
Oga Stephen Asamoah Boateng say di girl na 15 years and go soon clock 16.
E tok dis one for one interview wit Citi FM radio on Tuesday, 2 April.
Earlier report bin say di child bride na 12 years old.
Oga Boateng add say although di girl old pass wetin news report, however, she still be minor and im ministry go work wit oda agencies to protect her rights.
Di chief of Nungua traditional area, wia dem hold di ceremony tell Citi FM say di girl na 13.
Di legal minimum age to get married for Ghana na 18.
Plenty pipo bin para afta video of di Saturday customary wedding go viral for social media.
Authorities for Ghana don begin investigate di child marriage mata between di traditional priest for di kontri and di girl.
Ova di weekend, di customary marriage between di 63-year old Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII and di minor don spark wahala for social media.
Pipo don condemn di action wey dem describe as child marriage and paedophilia but di Nungua traditional authorities don defend di mata.
Di Ghana police for one statement tok say dem get di girl and im mama for dia custody as dem dey investigate di mata.
“We don identify di pikin wia dem tok say im marry di traditional priest for Nungua.
“Di pikin and im mama don dey under police protection afta di mata go viral,” di police tok.
Di police also add say dem dey work wit di ministry of gender, children and social protection togeda wit di social welfare department “to provide her wit di necessary support while we dey investigate di mata".
Di legal minimum age wey pesin fit get married for Ghana na 18 years and child marriage don reduce, but e still kontinu to dey happun.
Di videos and photos of how di event bin go begin dey spread ontop social media and e show how community members bin come out in large numbers.
Di videos dey trigger anger and many Ghanaians dey show say dem no agree for dat kain marriage between di priest and di small girl wey shele on Saturday.
During di ceremony, some women bin dey speak local language Ga to tell di girl say make she dey dress to seduce her new husband.
Dem also dey advise her to dey prepared for wife duties and make she dey use di perfumes wey dem give her so she go fit dey sexually attractive to her husband.
Di statements of di women bin vex pipo wey see say di marriage no just be ceremonial.
Some pipo dey call on authorities make dem break di marriage and investigate di priest Mr Tsuru.
Di sector minister, Stephen Asamoah Boateng tok say im ministry dey investigate di mata.
Im add say di ministry wan understand di whole issue and “take di necessary action since di bride of di priest na minor”.
“We dey do checks wit di traditional authority and di police sake of di pesin be minor.”
Meanwhile, one member of parliament and lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu tok say di tin wey happun ova di weekend na illegal.
“Di justification say e be tradition na wrong premise. Dem for arrest di chief priest so im go face di law.”
Article 26 (2) of di kontri constitution tok say all culture practice wey don dey dehumanise or injure di physical and mental well-being if a pesin, dey prohibited.
Anoda provision of di law (children act, 1998 act 560 dey tok say evri pikin get di right to refuse to dey married or betrothed
No pesin fit force pikin
- to dey betrothed or
- say pipo go pay dowry for im head
- or to dey married
Na so di MP tok say any pikin wey be 12 years neva get di capacity to consent to any marriage, wey im no fit to make dat kind decision.
Sosu don petition di inspector general of police ova di mata.
For di petition, e tok say wetin happun na “careless abuse of di right of innocent child wey happun for public.”
Im also add say di criminal offences act of Ghana don criminalise forced marriage.
“Whoever by duress cause pesin to marry against im will, dey guilty of misdemeanour wit punishment of up to three years for prison.”
As a result, di MP dey ask di IGP to “exercise im powers of arrest and investigation wey include potential defilement and prosecution of di traditional priest.”
Sosu say im dey “look forward to swift and expedited action for dis mata sake of di safety of Ghanaian children”.
Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, wey be local community leader, say di role of di girl as wife to di priest na “purely tradition and custom.”
Im add say di girl don start di rites to become wife to di traditional priest six years ago and e no affect her education.
Di girl dey expected to undergo second ceremony wey go purify her for her new role as di wife of di high priest.
Di ceremony go also prepare her for marital responsibilities wey go include child bearing, according to local tori.
Oga Tsuru na "Gborbu Wulomo", one traditional high priest for di Nungua indigenous community for Ghana capital, Accra.
Na im dey perform sacrifices on behalf of di community, im dey pray for di protection of di community and im dey enforce cultural practices.
Na di priest dey also lead traditional rites during events, even di installation of traditional chiefs for di community.
Ghanaian law recognise customary marriages, but no allow say make child marriages dey happun under di tok say na culture or tradition.
According to di global campaigning NGO Girls Not Brides, 19% of girls for di count for Ghana dey marry bifor dem reach 18 and 5% of dem dey marry bifor dia 15th birthday.
Original
Ghana Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs don clear air on di real age of di child bride wey marry one 63-year-old traditional priest for di kontri.
Oga Stephen Asamoah Boateng say di girl na 15 years and go soon clock 16.
E tok dis one for one interview wit Citi FM radio on Tuesday, 2 April.
Earlier report bin say di child bride na 12 years old.
Oga Boateng add say although di girl old pass wetin news report, however, she still be minor and im ministry go work wit oda agencies to protect her rights.
Di chief of Nungua traditional area, wia dem hold di ceremony tell Citi FM say di girl na 13.
Di legal minimum age to get married for Ghana na 18.
Plenty pipo bin para afta video of di Saturday customary wedding go viral for social media.
Authorities for Ghana don begin investigate di child marriage mata between di traditional priest for di kontri and di girl.
Ova di weekend, di customary marriage between di 63-year old Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII and di minor don spark wahala for social media.
Pipo don condemn di action wey dem describe as child marriage and paedophilia but di Nungua traditional authorities don defend di mata.
Di Ghana police for one statement tok say dem get di girl and im mama for dia custody as dem dey investigate di mata.
“We don identify di pikin wia dem tok say im marry di traditional priest for Nungua.
“Di pikin and im mama don dey under police protection afta di mata go viral,” di police tok.
Di police also add say dem dey work wit di ministry of gender, children and social protection togeda wit di social welfare department “to provide her wit di necessary support while we dey investigate di mata".
Di legal minimum age wey pesin fit get married for Ghana na 18 years and child marriage don reduce, but e still kontinu to dey happun.
Di videos and photos of how di event bin go begin dey spread ontop social media and e show how community members bin come out in large numbers.
Di videos dey trigger anger and many Ghanaians dey show say dem no agree for dat kain marriage between di priest and di small girl wey shele on Saturday.
During di ceremony, some women bin dey speak local language Ga to tell di girl say make she dey dress to seduce her new husband.
Dem also dey advise her to dey prepared for wife duties and make she dey use di perfumes wey dem give her so she go fit dey sexually attractive to her husband.
Di statements of di women bin vex pipo wey see say di marriage no just be ceremonial.
Some pipo dey call on authorities make dem break di marriage and investigate di priest Mr Tsuru.
Ministry of chieftaincy react to di wahala
Afta human right advocates and oda ogbonge groups condemn di marriage between di traditional priest and di minor, di chieftaincy ministry don react.Di sector minister, Stephen Asamoah Boateng tok say im ministry dey investigate di mata.
Im add say di ministry wan understand di whole issue and “take di necessary action since di bride of di priest na minor”.
“We dey do checks wit di traditional authority and di police sake of di pesin be minor.”
Meanwhile, one member of parliament and lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu tok say di tin wey happun ova di weekend na illegal.
“Di justification say e be tradition na wrong premise. Dem for arrest di chief priest so im go face di law.”
Article 26 (2) of di kontri constitution tok say all culture practice wey don dey dehumanise or injure di physical and mental well-being if a pesin, dey prohibited.
Anoda provision of di law (children act, 1998 act 560 dey tok say evri pikin get di right to refuse to dey married or betrothed
No pesin fit force pikin
- to dey betrothed or
- say pipo go pay dowry for im head
- or to dey married
Na so di MP tok say any pikin wey be 12 years neva get di capacity to consent to any marriage, wey im no fit to make dat kind decision.
Sosu don petition di inspector general of police ova di mata.
For di petition, e tok say wetin happun na “careless abuse of di right of innocent child wey happun for public.”
Im also add say di criminal offences act of Ghana don criminalise forced marriage.
“Whoever by duress cause pesin to marry against im will, dey guilty of misdemeanour wit punishment of up to three years for prison.”
As a result, di MP dey ask di IGP to “exercise im powers of arrest and investigation wey include potential defilement and prosecution of di traditional priest.”
Sosu say im dey “look forward to swift and expedited action for dis mata sake of di safety of Ghanaian children”.
'Na purely tradition and custom'
Di leaders for Nungua indigenous community wey di girl and and di priest belong to tok say dose wey dey condemn di marriage dey tok from di ‘point of ignorance’.Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, wey be local community leader, say di role of di girl as wife to di priest na “purely tradition and custom.”
Im add say di girl don start di rites to become wife to di traditional priest six years ago and e no affect her education.
Di girl dey expected to undergo second ceremony wey go purify her for her new role as di wife of di high priest.
Di ceremony go also prepare her for marital responsibilities wey go include child bearing, according to local tori.
Oga Tsuru na "Gborbu Wulomo", one traditional high priest for di Nungua indigenous community for Ghana capital, Accra.
Who be di 63-year-old priest?
As spiritual leader, di priest dey among di highest-ranking traditional leaders for di community.Na im dey perform sacrifices on behalf of di community, im dey pray for di protection of di community and im dey enforce cultural practices.
Na di priest dey also lead traditional rites during events, even di installation of traditional chiefs for di community.
Ghanaian law recognise customary marriages, but no allow say make child marriages dey happun under di tok say na culture or tradition.
According to di global campaigning NGO Girls Not Brides, 19% of girls for di count for Ghana dey marry bifor dem reach 18 and 5% of dem dey marry bifor dia 15th birthday.
