The Member of Parliament (MP) for Madina and Human Rights lawyer, Francis-Xavier Sosu, has urged the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to strengthen their efforts in safeguarding the vulnerable in society.

Highlighting a concerning trend revealed in UNICEF's 2022 population and housing report, which unveiled two instances of child brides among 8.3 million marriages in Ghana, Sosu emphasized the need for decisive action.

Despite constitutional provisions against all forms of child marriage, Mr Sosu expressed deep concern over the lack of adequate protection for young girls in Ghana, stressing the importance of safeguarding their future.

In a call to action directed at the Ministry, Sosu underscored the urgency for enhanced efforts in protecting vulnerable groups, particularly women and children, criticizing what he perceives as a lack of substantial progress over the past seven years.

“This is a very worrying trend and for me, I fear for the future of young girls in Ghana, and the future of Ghana because when you have a population that shows that females or women are more and we don’t have enough protection for our women. Then the country is heading to a doom because the female gender is not protected or supported.“At the end of the day, you want to count on the same people to be the future leaders or to actually be the people to anchor the future of our generation or the future of this nation, and I think that is a very worrying trend.” he stated.

Regarding the controversial case of a 12-year-old girl marrying a 63-year-old Nungua Gborbu Wulomo, Sosu urged the Ministry to intervene decisively.

He expressed intentions to petition the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and demanded the arrest and prosecution of the priest involved, emphasizing that marriage by law entails a union between two consenting adults.

Meanwhile, the Police Service has confirmed the rescue of the 12-year-old girl and her mother, assuring they are under police protection.