The coordinator of the network, Ignatia Safowaa Buaben has disclosed that girls who dropped out of school and were forced into marriage want to return to school.
She said the girls are also forming clubs in their communities as support base.
Sister Ignitia, said the Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN) has been advocating against child marriage in these communities and the results are beginning to show.
According to her, parents and husbands of these girls have vowed to support them to go back to school.
The coordinator of the network, Ignatia Safowaa Buaben made this known at a sensitization programme on early and forced marriage in some of the communities they are working in the Tolon District of the Northern Region.
“We have achieved real positive change because in at least two of the communities, even girls who have stopped school and gone into marriage have come up and agreed to go back to school.
“Their parents are ready to support them”, she added.
The Africa Faith & Justice Network (AFJN) is a faith-based, non-profit and Pan African organization jointly supported by 29 US-based missionary congregations of religious women and men with focus on the Gospel and inspired by Catholic Social Teachings.
Sister Ignatia said chiefs in these communities have also made by-laws that forbid teenagers from engaging in night activities such as attending record dance programs.
“And a chief in one of the communities have dictated things for the girls. They are no longer going out to jams or dance and come back late at night”, she said.
She said, parents have also begun engaging their children every week on the need to concentrate on their education which she described as a great achievement.
“Parents are meeting their children weekly to talk to them to let them concentrate on their school and that is a great achievement”.
She opined, one of the parents commended the network for a good job done, appealing to the network to continue with the advocacy to finally eradicate the canker completely.
“Early and forced marriage is now a thing of the past in this community”.
Before, it was very rampant but has reduced drastically. So, we urge the group to help us eliminate it completely”, he added.
One of the girls in the community Fatahiya Alhassan said they wish women in the community had excel to the status of assembly women or more but they do not have, adding that this advocacy would help build them for the future.
Story By: Alhassan Umar |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.
