'Marriage by abduction violates women's rights'
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“He told me to meet him at the next market day at Bugubelle for a new school uniform. From there, he abducted me and eloped with me to his village. However, I was saved by a Community–Based Anti-Violence Team (COMBAT), which rescued me. After four days, four men abducted me again while going to school to their village to serve as a wife to one of them. When my headmaster heard of it and traced me to the village, he was severely beaten but again COMBAT saved me and I am now in form two at the junior high school level.”
This is the chilling story of Asana Musah (not her real name) who but for ActionAid Ghana (through COMBAT) would have been a teenage wife of an elderly person through no fault of hers.
One issue that confronts the Upper West Region is the practice of marriage by abduction. People most often use marriage by abduction and elopement inter–changeably. However, the truth is that the two scenarios are not the same.
Marriage by abduction is an accepted traditional practice where young girls of school-age, usually between 14 to 16 years, are forced into marriage at a tender age and there is no consent between the two parties.
On the other hand, elopement usually involves girls above 18 years who may have consented to marriage but elope or escape with their partner or suitor from home for a number of reasons.
Marriage by abduction, which is widespread in surrounding communities in Jirapa, Sissala East, Nadowli, Wa West and the Lambussie–Karni districts, breaches the rights and freedoms of the girl-child as enshrined in various international instruments.
It is against this background that ActionAid commissioned a research into the phenomenon of marriage by abduction in these five districts.
According to Mr George Dery, the Upper West Regional Programme Manager of ActionAid, data gathered by COMBAT in 57 communities in Sissala East, Jirapa and Lambussie during an annual review exercise indicated that 57 and 51 girls were abducted in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
He called on the leadership of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs to take steps to abolish marriage by abduction and make it a punishable offence in any part of the region by the end of the year 2014.
“They did it for FGM and I sincerely believe they can do it for marriage by abduction,” he added.
By George Folley/Ghana