Actress and media personality Joselyn Dumas has called on Ghanaians to unlearn attitudes and behaviours that have become normalised in society, stressing that comments directed at children should never be labelled as harmless jokes.

In a post shared on X, the actress expressed concern over the practice of grown men publicly referring to underage girls as their “wives” or joking that they would marry them when they grow up.

According to her, such remarks should not be celebrated or laughed off because they undermine the innocence of children and send the wrong message.

“We really need to UNLEARN the things society has normalized. A grown man publicly referring to an underage girl as ‘HIS WIFE’ and saying he’ll marry her when she grows up should not be laughed off or treated as harmless banter. Children are children. We must do better and protect their innocence,” she wrote.

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Her comments come in the wake of the controversy involving the Member of Parliament for Ahafo Ano South East, Yakubu Mohammed, who was captured in a viral video making remarks to an underage schoolgirl during a visit to Parliament.

In the video, Mohammed was heard telling the student, “You are very beautiful; when you grow up, I will marry you, so she is my wife. In future, she will also be an MP.”

The video has since generated debate across social media, with many users questioning the appropriateness of such comments from a public official when interacting with a child.

Others argued that society must become more sensitive to language used around children and called for greater awareness about protecting minors from inappropriate remarks, even when intended as jokes.

Following the backlash, the Member of Parliament issued an unqualified apology, admitting that his comments were inappropriate and acknowledging the discomfort they caused to the pupil, her family, and members of the public, particularly women.

Mohammed said he deeply regretted the incident and offered his sincere apologies to the schoolgirl, her family, and the general public for his remarks.

We really need to UNLEARN the things society has normalized. A grown man publicly referring to an underage girl as “HIS WIFE” and saying he’ll marry her when she grows up should not be laughed off or treated as harmless banter. Children are children. We must do better and protect…

— JOSELYN DUMAS (@Joselyn_Dumas) August 2, 2026