“Let Girls Be Children, Not Victims: End the Rape and Forced Marriage of the Girl Child”

Content warning: This article discusses child sexual abuse and child marriage.

I'm going to say something uncomfortable, something we all know but rarely admit out loud: we all know a predator. They live in our family homes. They walk our streets. They teach in our schools. And too often, our communities protect them, shielding their crimes behind closed doors and hushed voices, all in the name of avoiding "shame." Meanwhile, they continue destroying young lives with impunity. I know this because I survived it. I was one of those girls, molested by someone who was supposed to protect me. Someone everyone knew was dangerous, but no one would confront. I'm done being silent. And if you're reading this, I'm asking you to break your silence too.

The Global Crisis We're Ignoring

Every three seconds, a girl child becomes a bride somewhere in the world.

Let that sink in. Every. Three. Seconds.

According to Plan International, 12 million girls are married before their 18th birthday each year. If we don't act now, 150 million more girls will be married as children by 2030. These aren't just statistics - they're stolen childhoods, shattered dreams, and lives cut brutally short.

Ghana's Reckoning: Recent Cases That Demand Justice

Between September and October 2025 alone, Ghana witnessed a horrifying cascade of child sexual abuse cases:

An assistant headmaster at KNUST Senior High School was recorded sexually assaulting a student
A teacher at Okadjakrom Senior High Technical School was caught assaulting a female student
A 49-year-old fisherman publicly defiled a 13-year-old girl in Mumford, Apam, while bystanders cheered him on over a dispute about 800 cedis.
A 45-year-old French teacher at Labone SHS was charged with indecent assault against a female student.

And these are just the cases that made headlines. How many more happen in silence?

My younger sister, a doctor in training, recently treated an 11-year-old child bride who had just given birth. The complications were severe. The CHPS compound couldn't help her. My sister watched helplessly as that child, still a child herself, was sent home to die.

How do we, as a society, continue to destroy our children's futures? How do we strip away their innocence, their right to simply be children, their chance at happiness? This is a violation of fundamental human rights. Full stop.

Laws Exist, But They're Not Enough

According to the Ghana Statistical Service, child marriage, whether a formal or informal union between a child and an adult or another child, is a clear human rights violation. Nigeria's Senate recently passed legislation mandating life imprisonment for the defilement and abuse of minors. Ghana developed a National Strategic Framework on Ending Child Marriage (2017-2026) back in 2016. But here's the painful truth: these laws and frameworks haven't been enough. The abuse continues. The marriages persist. Children are still being violated while we debate policy. Recent events prove that we need more than legislation on paper. We need swift, decisive, and community-driven action.

Our Children Are Telling Us Something, Are We Listening?

When a child suddenly withdraws, that's a red flag. When your daughter becomes unusually close to a particular adult, that demands questions. When communities whisper about "that person" but never report them, we become complicit in the abuse. We owe our children protection. Both girls AND boys, because they too are being abused, even if we talk about it less.

A Call to Action: What We Must Do Now

This isn't a moment for passive concern or social media sympathy. This is a call to immediate, sustained action:

Adopt "See Something, Say Something" in Every Community: Silence protects predators. Your voice can save a child. Report abuse immediately to the police, to social services, to child protection organisations. Don't wait. Don't hesitate. Don't assume someone else will do it.

Expose and Prosecute Predators: No more protecting reputations at the expense of children's lives. Perpetrators must face consequences: public exposure, prosecution, and imprisonment. Shame belongs on them, not their victims.

Education, Education, Education: We must educate:

Parents recognise warning signs and protect their children

Girls and boys on body autonomy, consent, and safe adults to trust

Communities on the devastating impacts of child marriage and sexual abuse

Everyone knows that child marriage isn't a culture - it's abuse

Women's Groups Must Lead the Charge: Women's organisations have the power, networks, and moral authority to drive this movement. Rise. Organize. Protect our children with the same ferocity you'd protect your own.

Amplify This Message Everywhere: Use #EndChildMarriage across every social media platform. Share stories. Tag leaders. Demand accountability. Make this issue impossible to ignore.

The Future We Choose

Right now, as you read this, a girl child somewhere is being married. Another is being molested. Another is giving birth to a baby she's too young to carry safely. We can choose to look away, as communities have done for generations. We can mumble about "tradition" and "culture" while children suffer.

Or we can choose to fight.

Every girl deserves to be a child, to learn, play, dream, and grow up on her own timeline. Every boy deserves the same protection. They deserve communities that shield them from harm, not predators who harm them. The question isn't whether we can end child marriage and abuse. The question is whether we will.

I'm choosing to fight. Will you join me?

Share this post. Start conversations in your community. Report abuse when you see it. Support survivors when they speak up. Demand that leaders enforce existing laws and create stronger protections.

Our children are counting on us. Let's not fail them.

#EndChildMarriage #ProtectOurChildren #SeeSomethingSaySomething

If you or someone you know needs help, contact your local child protection services or organisations like FIDA Ghana, Ark Foundation, or the Department of Social Welfare immediately.

Sources

Ghana Statistical Services

Plan International

Citi News