Ghana: Information about child marriages, customary marriages and the availability of state protection to those who do not wish to be a party to such marriages
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 February 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA28582.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information about child marriages, customary marriages and the availability of state protection to those who do not wish to be a party to such marriages, 1 February 1998, GHA28582.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab9811.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1997 (1998), forced childhood marriages is among traditional practices that violate the rights of children in Ghana (Internet 1997).
In a 5 January 1998 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, who specializes in gender and human rights issues in Ghana stated that childhood marriages or customary marriages in Ghana are common particularly among Muslim communities in rural parts of Ghana but rare in urban areas.
An official of the High Commission for the Republic of Ghana in Ottawa, stated that although the legal age of marriage in Ghana is 18 years, customary marriages involving girls below the age of 18 occur in rural areas and villages and "cut across all religions and ethnic groups" (4 Feb. 1998). He further stated that the government discourages this practice but "does not want to interfere in family matters because this is a cultural practice and the decisions about marriage are left to the girl's family" (ibid.).
Information on the availability of state protection to those who do not wish to be a party to such marriages could not be found among the sources currently available to the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 1997.1998. United States Deppartment of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office [Internet].
Doctoral student specializing in gender and human rights issues at the University of Indiana, Bloomington. 5 January 1998. Telephone interview.
High Commission for the Republic of Ghana, Ottawa. 4 February 1998. Telephone interview.
Additional Sources Consulted
Africa Confidential [London]. Weekly
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series [London]. Monthly.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. 1996.
New African [London]. Monthly.
West Africa [London]. Weekly.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, World News Connection (WNC).