Victims of child marriage network in upper west region in collaboration with Community Development Alliance have petitioned president Nana Addo.

The petition demanded urgent action to safeguard the lives of future victims of child marriage and teenage mothers in the regions.

According to them, ‘’We regret to note that teenage pregnancy and teenage motherhood has denied many girls their health, education and childhood”, the network lamented and added that approximately, three out of 10 girls in the region were teenage mothers according to reports from the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

The petition which was developed after a confidence and capacity building training organized by CDA in partnership with STAR-Ghana under the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Program Support was jointly signed by Ubeda Bawa, Network Spokesperson and Mercy Dakogri, Project Officer for CDA’s “Let Girls Learn, End Child Marriage” project.

The petition stated that when families, community fail in their duty to protect the poor girls, they fall prey to bad men which manifests high incidence of child marriages.

The petition urged the government to take immediate action and consider setting up vocational and skills training centers to cater for the girls who unfortunately dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy and child marriages.

They also urge the government to put in effective mechanisms to ensure timely investigations to prosecute culprits of defilements to serve as a deterrent to others.