The Prevalence and Predictors of Early Girl Child Marriage in the Nabdam district of the Upper East Region Ghana : predictors of early girl child marriage

Child marriage remains a challenge in Ghana. Over the years, government and development partners have made various commitments and efforts to curb the phenomenon of child marriage. However, there is little empirical evidence on the predictors, norms and practices surrounding the practice to support their efforts, a gap this study sought to fill. Methods: The study adopted an explanatory research design and quantitative research approach in which simple random and convenient sampling technique were used to select ninety-three respondents from Kongo-Pitanga of Nabdam district. The study used structured questionnaires as a tool for data collection. Findings : From the qualitative data, the study identified poverty, teenage pregnancy, and cultural norms such as, exchange of girls for marriage and pressure from significant others as the drivers of child marriage. Conclusion: The findings show that various socio-economic and cultural factors such as education, teenage pregnancy, and poverty influence child marriage. Hence, efforts to curb child marriage should be geared towards retention of girls in school, curbing teenage pregnancy, empowering girls economically, enforcing laws on child marriage in Ghana, as well as designing tailored advocacy programs to educate key stakeholders and adolescent girls on the consequences of child marriage. Additionally, there is the need to address socio-cultural norms/practices to help end child marriage.