Mr Emmanuel Mintah, the Executive Director of Ark Development Organisation, has called on parents and guardians to give their girl children the needed attention to help prevent teenage pregnancy and child marriage.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated the provision of digital platforms for learning, earning and connecting, while highlighting girls’ digital realities and that parents and guardians needed to create conducive environment for the girls to learn at home.
Mr Mintah made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the celebration of the 2021 International Day of the Girl held at the Coaltar Presbyterian Senior High School in the Eastern Region on the theme: “Digital Generation, Our Generation.”
He said according to the UNICEF, about 22 billion people below the age of 25 did not have internet at home and girls were more likely to be cut off.
“Millions of girls are still marrying every year, and 10 million more are at risk of getting married over the next decade due to the COVID-19 pandemic and that the work to prevent child marriage is far from done,” he said.
Madam Rosemary Boateng, the Girl-Child Coordinator of Coaltar, said there was the need for parents and teachers to take up the challenge in solving girl-child marriage at their meetings.
Ohemaa Afua Asiedua III, the Queen Mother of Coaltar, who graced the occasion advised students, especially girls to concentrate on their school lessons and avoid loitering around at nights while attending wake-keepings, video shows among others.
She urged parents and guardians to ensure that they provided the needs of their girl children at all times, particularly during their menstruation period.
The Ark Development Organisation is a member of the Girls Not Brides; the global partnership to end child marriage.
