Shattered dreams of the girl-child : exploring the root causes and consequences of girl-child marriage in Ghana with a special focus on the implications for regional and national development

Abstract

Child marriage (CM) is understood to indicate marriages under the age of 18. Although it affects both boys and girls, it is predominantly girls that are married off at a young age and suffer more serious consequences. According to the UN, 37,000 girls under the age of 18 are married each day. This thesis is solely focused on the girl-child marriage, which is a global phenomenon.<br /> Child marriage ends a girl's childhood dreams of becoming a doctor or any other profession, it curtails her education, minimizes her economic opportunities and increases the risk of domestic violence. On the national level, it hinders the accomplishment of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).<br /> The objective of this thesis is to examine the causes of child marriage and its effects on the regional and national development of Ghana. The main causes of this practice are poverty and inequality or patriarchal norms and the consequences are that the dreams of girls come to an abrupt end due to CM and this, in turn, perpetuates the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment of Ghana on regional as well as national levels, as it impacts the country socially and financially in a negative way and derails its social and economic growth. As a result, the government of Ghana has taken a stand in ending child marriages even though it means interfering with tribal laws of societies. At the same time, a great deal of educational and policy work remains to be done to address this problem.