The conference, which was organized in Tamale with support from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was to raise awareness about the negative effects of child marriage and other harmful cultural practices that impeded the progress of women and girls relegating them to subservient roles in communities.

It was attended by Muslim clerics from the Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Ashanti and Brong Ahafo Regions.

Muslim clerics have been described as mentors and teachers in society, hence their involvement to lead the campaigns against child marriages and other harmful cultural practices that retarded the development of the girl child.

Dr Afisah Zakariah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, whose speech was read on her behalf during the conference, said child marriage was a global issue emanating from harmful cultural practices from the deeply entrenched discriminatory views and beliefs of societies.

Dr Zakariah said the continued existence of child marriages and its related activities were as a result of religious beliefs, poverty and lack of education as well as the beliefs in traditional systems, hence the involvement of the Muslim clerics.

She said one out of five girls was married off before their 18th birthday in the country, consisting about 21 per cent of girls from 20-24 years, which translated to 260,000 girls widening the gaps between Northern, Central, and Southern sectors of the country.

She said the Northern Region recorded the highest level of child marriages, where more than one third of young women (39%) were married off during childhood, and called for an urgent need for all actors to double efforts at ending this practice.

Sheikh Amin Bamba, Imam, and Chief Executive Officer of the Bamba Islamic Institute of Ghana, said the teaching of Islam recognized the vulnerability of women and placed emphasis on the importance of women and the girl-child, hence dedicating a chapter of the Qur’an to women.

Sheik Bamba advised that some Islamic teachings that best communicated on issues of marriage should be used as advocacy tools in communities to help end child marriages.