In the Techiman Metropolis of the Bono East Region, four teenage girls have been saved from forced or early marriages since the start of 2025; the most recent of these was a 13-year-old girl from Tanoso.
The Ghana Education Service (GES), in partnership with the Police’s Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), is spearheading this intervention as part of a larger campaign, with assistance from other state agencies and civil society groups.
Two of the rescued girls have gone back to school, while the other two have been sent to different areas, according to Mrs. Ellen White Opoku, the Techiman Metropolitan Girls Education Officer and CEO of the Ellen White Sustainable Foundation, who spoke to the media.
A written agreement guaranteeing their girls’ continued attendance at school was forced onto their parents.
Mrs. Opoku advised parents not to marry off their minor daughters, stating that doing so would ruin their future goals and put them at risk for major health issues.
She asked community members and educators to report any instances of forced marriages and to exercise caution.
She was also pleased with Techiman’s decrease in adolescent pregnancies, which she credited to the previous NPP government’s “Re-entry into School after Childbirth Policy.”
She also praised the current NDC government, led by John Mahama, for restoring free sanitary pads for basic school girls. The 2025 budget included GH₵292.4 million for the effort.
She underlined that many girls from low-income families find it difficult to pay for sanitary pads, which can occasionally result in their dropping out of school or entering into abusive relationships.
She pointed out that giving away free sanitary pads will assist keep more girls in school and safeguard their health.
Source: newsthemegh.com