As part of the International Day of the Girl celebration, Beatrice Laari Dammigu, a 15-year-old Form 3 student of Walewale Girls’ Model Junior High School, visited the Minister of Youth Development and Employment, Hon. George Opare Addo, at his office.
Beatrice today took over the seat of the Minister and served as the Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment for the Day
Beatrice, who is also the Speaker of the West Mamprusi Municipality Children’s Parliament, led a team from Plan International Ghana to share the plight of girls in her school and community.
During the meeting, Beatrice highlighted some of the challenges faced by girls in her community, including teenage pregnancy, child abuse, child marriage, and drug abuse among young people.
She appealed to the minister to intensify education and sensitization efforts to curb these societal problems.
The Minister detailed the ministry’s efforts in fighting drug abuse among young people, citing a recent survey that revealed 42% of university students in the country are into drug abuse.
On child marriage, he emphasized that it is an offense to marry a child under 18 years and called on Ghanaians to frown on the practice.
“It’s an act of wickedness for any father or mother to sit idle and allow a child below 18 to be forced into marriage based on whatever reason, it’s not right” he said.
Most importantly, the minister assured Beatrice that he would arrange for her to meet the President and the Vice President to directly address her concerns.
“I want to assure you that the president will be more than happy to engage you and the youth parliament to listen and understand some of the problems from your perspective” he said.
This meeting is a significant step towards promoting the rights and welfare of girls in Ghana.
“I have always said that if you want to formulate a policy that is going to be beneficial to the masses, it must always begin from the base — it makes it easier for you to appreciate the issue from their worldview”
The meeting between Beatrice and the Minister is a testament to the power of young people to make a difference. By empowering girls like Beatrice, we can create a brighter future for Ghana.
The International Day of the Girl is a celebration of the strength and resilience of girls around the world.
Beatrice’s courage in sharing her concerns with the Minister is an inspiration to us all. We look forward to seeing the impact of this meeting on the lives of girls in Ghana.
About Plan International Ghana
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls and has been working in Ghana to support children, particularly the most marginalised, to exercise their rights for 30 years.
They are improving the effectiveness of child sponsorship in the most disadvantaged communities and mobilising resources through grant funding to reach other marginalised communities. The organization drive changes in practice and policy using our reach, experience and knowledge to influence national policymakers and traditional influencers.
Working together with children, young people, supporters, and partners, plan international Ghana strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face.
