A victim of early child marriage who only gave her name as Mohammed Rukaya noted that her future will have been more productive if not for the situation she found herself in.
The young lady who got married at the age of sixteen (16), in sharing the ordeal she went through in marriage indicated that it crushed all her future ambitions and rendered her non-productive.
She noted that with a daily upkeep of 1 cedi and an abusive husband, she had to cater for herself and her son.
She therefore underscored the need for upcoming girls to be more assertive and not fall victims of forced and early child marriages.
Madam Rukaya made this known during a Capacity Building Workshop for women in Tamale on Gender issues at the modern city hotel.
The workshop was aimed at developing the skills of women to lead the discussion on the right of women and girls in the northern region.
In his submission, the former Northern Regional population officer Chief Alhaji Alhassan Amadu, indicated that everyone regardless of gender has the right to work and support themselves and to live without the fear of abuse or violence.
Chief Amadu further called for the need for families to adopt the Gender Model Family initiative, where both the man and woman or even the children, can help out with various responsibilities or even making financial decision.
Hajia Hamdaratu Abdul Majeed, a circuit supervisor at the Tamale metro education office also called for some cultural practices that inhibit women from being productive, to be abolished to help in the fight for the right of women in society.
The capacity building workshorp, which brought together over 50 stakeholders was organized by the Africa Centre for Human Rights and Sustainable Development (AfCHuRSD) with support from the Commonwealth Human Right Initiative (CHRI).
it was themed: Equal Right for Economic Empowerment for Women
Source: Fiilafmonline:ShawanaYussif
