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Outrage has been emanating from Ghana all over the world after an influential traditional priest aged 63 married a 12-year-old girl on Saturday.

The priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the child in a customary ceremony even though the legal minimum age to get married in Ghana is 18.

Faced with mounting criticism, community leaders have said people do not understand their customs and traditions. Despite the laws put in place to stop this unequal relationship from taking place, the prevalence of child marriages continues to happen, per the BBC.

According to the global campaigning NGO Girls Not Brides, 19% of girls in the country are married before they reach 18 and 5% get married before their 15th birthday.

Several Ghanaians are completely sickened by the priests’ wedding, expressing their outrage after videos and photos of Saturday’s elaborate event, attended by dozens of community members, were widely shared on social media.

GBORBU WULOMO TAKES NEW CUSTOMARY WIFE

In Nungua, the air is thick with tradition as the customary marriage between Gborbu Wulomo, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, and a young girl named ‘Naa Okromo’ unfolds. The age difference is striking: the venerable Gborbu Wulomo is ‘63… pic.twitter.com/VfCiFZuVnr

— Caleb Qwofi Right (@calebeshun) March 31, 2024

Critics have called for the authorities to dissolve the marriage and investigate Mr Tsuru. Kofi Asare, director of the African Education Watch has called on the Ghana Police Service to arrest the priest and his cohorts for marrying the underage girl. The education advocate says the act is illegal despite the excuse that the child will not perform conjugal duties.

However, during the ceremony, women speaking in the local language Ga, told the girl to dress teasingly for her husband. They can also be heard advising her to be prepared for wifely duties and to use the perfumes they gifted her to boost her sexual appeal to her husband.

Leaders of the Nungua indigenous community, to which both the girl and the priest belong, have condemned the public’s opposition to the marriage, saying the criticism “comes from a point of ignorance”.

Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II, a local community leader, said on Sunday that the girl’s role as the priest’s wife is “purely tradition and custom”. He added that the girl started the rites to become the priest’s wife six years ago, but the process did not interfere with her education.

Ghanaian law recognises customary marriages, but does not allow for child marriages under the guise of culture or tradition.

Soon, the girl will undergo a second customary ceremony to purify her for her new role as the wife of the high priest. The ceremony will also prepare her for marital responsibilities such as childbearing, local media reported.

[source:bbc]