The plans of a family to marry off their 15‑year‑old daughter were successfully thwarted through a united effort by the Human Rights Development Services (HURDS), alongside key government bodies including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.
The rescue ensued after a tip‑off alerted HURDS, prompting them to secure a safe facility for the girl and coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and the police to safely remove her from the imminent marriage ceremony.
Madam Eva Ankrah, Executive Director of HURDS, reminded families of the Children’s Act, which expressly prohibits child marriage, urging them to help girls fulfill their potential instead. She also highlighted that such harmful cultural practices perpetuate cycles of poverty among women.
In a bid to enhance preventive action and data-driven interventions, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection recently launched a Child Marriage Portal—a new platform to consolidate reports of such incidents nationwide, supporting Ghana’s ambition to eliminate child marriage by 2030.
In Ghana, millions of girls have over the years, suffered this dangerous socio-cultural ill.
Madam Ankrah noted that her organization has started counselling the rescued girl on the repercussions of child marriage and hoped to engage the family for the same education, to create awareness and enhance information on why families must together abhor the practice.