Tag: Child marriage

Nationally, 79,733 girls in Ghana aged 12 to 17 have been in union i.e. married or living together with a man according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census (PHC). Out of this number, 25,999 are girls of Junior High School going age (12 to 14 years). The regions with the highest percentage of girls ever in union are North East (13.0%), Savannah (10.9%) and Northern (10.6%) all with rates more than twice the national average (4.0%). The census questionnaire collected information on marriage for persons 12 years and older.Marriage of children is prohibited under Section 14 of the 1998 Children's Act which states that "The minimum age of marriage of whatever kind shall be eighteen years." Despite free and compulsory universal basic education, almost a quarter of a millio...