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‘Child marriage; disservice to victims, society’
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• Ms. Sahadatu Ali
An Education, Migration and Gender Researcher, Ms Sahadatu Ali, has said that persons who engage in child marriage do a disservice to the victims and the society in general.
“Children should be allowed to learn, develop and enjoy their childhood under the guidance of parents and guardians; they have no business carrying out marital duties, giving birth and raising children,” she said.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator last Thursday, Ms. Ali who is an advocate against child marriage said she had observed that much needed to be done by parents and the state to tackle the act which constituted a form of abuse against the young ones and deserved more public attention to fight the canker.
“Some argue that it was better to marry off girls at an early age than for them to be engaged in sexual activities. And I say that, if a child is engaged in sexual activities, it is the failure of the parents to guide the child, thus the child should not be punished for the failure of parents,” she said.
She intimated that marrying off children as a means of curbing premarital sex among children was a lazy approach to child nurturing.
“If children are engaged in sexual activities, it is the duty of parents to do the hard work of reorienting and guiding the children, rather than opting for the easiest way out which is child marriage” Ms Ali said.
The Education, Migration and Gender Researcher said she was unhappy that this critical aspect of the issue was not being constantly emphasized by well-meaning Ghanaians.
“They are also at a higher risk of being abused physically, sexually, verbally and financially due to their age and little appreciation of life in general” she said.
Ms. Ali said even among Muslims, where some adherents hid behind the alleged marriage of Prophet Mohammed to a nine years old Aisha to perpetuate child marriage, the practice had become unpopular.
“Some scholars and students of Hadiths had challenged this narration with new evidence revealing that at the time they claimed Aisha was nine years, records showed that her younger siblings were older than nine during the same period. Their argument is that Aisha cannot be younger than her younger siblings,” she disclosed.
She said another school of thought, opposed to the claim that Aisha married at nine years had argued that:
“If the Quran says Prophet Mohanmed was the best example to mankind, and hadith showed that he (the Prophet) refused to give his daughter, Fatima’s hand in marriage at 18 years with the excuse that she was not matured, how could the same person accept to marry a nine years old contrary to his own practice and example,” she questioned.
“There are other schools of thought that have argued against child marriage amongst Muslims, using evidence from the Quran. For example, the Quran says if an orphan is left in your care with property to be handed over to him/her when older, first test them to establish that they are matured before you hand over their property to them and/or marry them off,” she said.
She said the issue of child marriage should be attacked from all angles to ensure that children got the best from society and called on all persons to say no to child marriage.
From Dzifa Tetteh Tay, Ashaiman.
Residents of Brodi, a farming community in the Tain District of the Bono Region, have been left in shock and mourning following the alleged murder of a 45-year-old woman by her husband, who later died by suicide.
According to information gathered by the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the suspect, popularly known as Kwabena Jack, believed to be in his 50s, allegedly attacked and killed his wife, Abena Donkor, while the couple were working on their farm on Monday, August 11, 2026.
Mr Kingsley Obah, Assembly Member for the Brodi Electoral Area, confirmed the incident to the GNA.
He explained that after news of the woman’s death spread through the community, residents launched a search for the suspect. His lifeless body was later discovered in a nearby bush on Tuesday, August 12, 2026.
Police have since conveyed both bodies to the Tain District Government Hospital, where they have been deposited for preservation and autopsy.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing. -GNA
Hawkers and roaming preachers have taken over the five-metre high Madina REDCO footbridge and adjoining streets, making it increasingly difficult for pedestrians to use the facility intended to promote safe road crossing.
The traders have virtually turned sections of the footbridge into a marketplace, displaying their wares on the floor using jute sacks, plastic sheets and metal trays, while others have occupied both sides of the walkway with their merchandise.
Foodstuffs such as okro, garden eggs, pepper, onions, dried fish, smoked fish, grains, spices and other groceries are openly sold on the footbridge and along the roadside, forcing pedestrians to weave through the crowded path.
Clothing and fashion accessories including slippers, brassieres, panties, socks, bags and other household items are also displayed for sale, leaving only limited space for commuters to use.
The situation is worsened by the presence of itinerant preachers who position themselves on the footbridge with public address systems to evangelise, drawing crowds to further obstruct pedestrian movement.
Head porters are also seen crossing the highway through the median while carrying heavy loads instead of using the footbridge, exposing themselves to the danger of being knocked down by speeding vehicles.
Also, portions of the footbridge are showing signs of deterioration. Several metal railings are rusted, bent and loosely secured with pieces of wire, raising concerns about the safety of users, especially children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.
Sections of the concrete surface are worn and chipped, while makeshift wooden supports attached to parts of the structure suggest temporary repairs.
After a visit by The Spectator last week, it emerged that many commuters preferred crossing the busy Madina Highway instead of using the footbridge because of the congestion created by the trading and preaching activities.
For years, successive attempts by the police, the military and the La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal Assembly to address congestion around the REDCO and Zongo Junction enclave have yielded little success, with the area becoming notorious for roadside trading, indiscriminate parking and pedestrians refusing to use the footbridge.
A pedestrian, who gave her name only as Maame Yaa, described the situation as worrying, saying the footbridge, which was constructed to protect lives, had gradually lost its purpose because of the growing encroachment by traders and preachers.
According to her, many pedestrians were discouraged from using the facility because navigating through the crowded walkway had become difficult and uncomfortable.
She appealed to the La Nkwantanang Madina Municipal Assembly and other relevant authorities to intensify enforcement to prevent unauthorised trading and other activities on the footbridge and ensure it served its intended purpose of promoting pedestrian safety.
However, during the visit, personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) were seen carrying out a decongestion exercise to remove hawkers from sections of the roadside around the footbridge as part of efforts to improve public safety and ease the movement of both pedestrians and motorists.
The exercise forms part of a pilot project initiated by the Municipal Fire Commander for Madina, Division Officer II (DO II) Abdul Salia, who assumed command of the Madina Municipal Fire Station three months ago.
Speaking in an interview with The Spectator, DO II Abdulai Salia, who is also a long time resident of the community, said the month long project began on July 1 and ended on July 31, with 30 firefighters deployed daily to regulate traffic, clear hawkers from the streets and footbridge, and create access for emergency vehicles.
Continued on page 12
By Esinam Jemima Kuatsinu
