A total of 34 girls who were married before the age of 18, between 2021 and the second quarter of 2024 in the Upper East Region have been rescued from child marriage. Statistics from the Upper East Regional Child Protection Committee have revealed that the girls were between the ages of 13 and 17, from some districts in the region. It also reported that the Builsa South and Nabdam Districts had the highest cases of 13 and 12 respectively. According to the Committee, many of the girls, through the support of various organisations and institutions had returned to the formal school system through the re-entry policy of the Ghana Education Service while others had been supported to learn vocational skills. This came to light at the 2024 first and second quarter meeting of the Committee in Bolgatanga, organised by the Department of Children under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection in collaboration with the Regional Coordinating Council with funding support from the United Nations Children' s Fund (UNICEF). The meeting was to help the members of the Committee to present achievements and challenges of activities on child protection carried out within the period under review, to the stakeholders to influence discussion that would inform future planning and implementation. The Committee comprised representatives from the Departments of Gender, Children, Social Welfare and Community Development, RCC, Ghana Health Service, Ghana Education Service, Food and Drugs Authority, National Disaster Management Organisation, state human rights institutions, traditional and religious leaders, the media and some civil society organisations. Mrs Georgina Aberese-Ako, the Acting Regional Director of the Department of Children, presenting the report to the participants, commended members of the Committee for the achievement in rescuing the girls from child marriage and helping some to return to school. She said child marriage was one of the major challenges confronting the growth of girls in the region and deep ening the education gap between boys and girls and it was imperative for stakeholders to work collectively to address the challenges. 'It is a great achievement because rescuing even one girl from child marriage and helping her to return to school is not easy and it is important, but we are not resting, we will continue to do all we can to ensure that child marriage and other child protection issues are reduced', she added. Ms Dora Kulariba, the Upper East Regional Adolescent Focal Person, Ghana Health Service, noted that apart from the child marriage menace, teenage pregnancy was still a major challenge in the region although significant progress had been made. She revealed that at the end of the second quarter of 2024, teenage pregnancy cases in the region reduced to 11.7 per cent from 12.8 per cent and 14.9 per cent within the same period in 2023 and 2022 respectively. 'If we look at the percentages, we can say we are doing well as a region but if you look at the absolute figures, especially in some of the districts, it will tell you we need more education for our adolescents to have accurate information on their sexual and reproductive health,' she added. Ms Yvonne Wonchua, Gender Desk Officer, RCC, commended the Committee's efforts to address challenges facing children in the region, particularly girls and urged the stakeholders to intensify education at the grassroots to achieve maximum impact. Source: Ghana News Agency