Fighting Early Child Marriage and SGBV: RUWA-Ghana’s Campaign for Students’ Awareness and Action

RUWA-Ghana sensitized students in Wa West District of the Upper West Region on how to stay healthy, say No to premarital sex and the need to make informed choices as youth. The Women’s right and not-for profit organization, conducted a sensitization exercise for its school club members at the Vieri Methodist Primary and JHS on August 29, 2023. The exercise covered topics such as Adolescent Reproductive Health, Early Child Marriage and its Consequences, and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV).

The facilitator of the exercise, Madam Juliata who is a Public Health Nurse at the Wechau Health Center, shared her knowledge and experience with the students. She explained the physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during adolescence, and how to cope with them in a healthy and responsible way. She also discussed the risks and impacts of early child marriage, such as dropping out of school, health complications, domestic violence, etc. She urged the students to delay marriage until they are of age and to pursue their education and career goals.

Moreover, she addressed the issue of SGBV, which includes any form of violence or abuse based on gender or sexuality, such as rape, harassment, trafficking, defilement, etc. She emphasized the need to report any case of SGBV to the relevant authorities, such as the police, social workers, teachers, etc. She also advised the students to seek medical and psychological help if they are victims or witnesses of SGBV.

The member of staff of RUWA-Ghana and Project Lead, Amanda Tembile, also spoke to the students and encouraged them to abstain from premarital sex and to protect themselves from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. She also motivated them to be strong and confident in their rights and choices.

The sensitization exercise was part of RUWA-Ghana’s implementation of the ‘Women’s Voice and Leadership (WVL)’ Flexible Response Funding Mechanism (FRFM-3) through Plan International Ghana and funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).