Wicked cultural practices put girls at risk of exploitation

Wicked cultural practices are putting many girls in rural communities at serious risk of being sexually exploited or forced into early marriages.

Merciless acts such as female genital mutilation, enslavement in shrines to atone for the sins of families, coupled with poverty, ignorance and lack of education put the girls in jeopardy.

The need to build strong communities to uphold the rights of girls and young women has become critical for the Ghana NGOs Coalition on the Rights of the Child (GNCRC), through the Girl Power Project sponsored by Star Ghana.

Addressing a monthly dialogue meeting in WA, Mr. Justice Bennin, Chairman of the GNCRC and Programmes Coordinator of Youth Advocacy on Rights and Opportunities (YARO), said the project seeks to sensitize children about their rights in development and increase their capacity to claim their rights.

This is done through engaging children to ensure their views are brought to the relevant stakeholders and taking into account the child development programmes and their implementation.

He added the project was working around four themes, including “protection against violence," “social-political participation," “economic participation” and “post primary education” to enhance the well-being of children and young women.

Mr. Bennin appealed to all stakeholders to join the fight against child abuse and violations in communities.