First, it is important to know that in Ghana, children are to be seen, not heard. Children know not to challenge authority; they are seen as property of the adults, so the adults decide what to do with the children...
~ in the Voltar Region, trokosi is a common practice. Trokosi is when virgin children are sent to a shrine to "atone the sins" for the adult community member. Basically, the children are given to the priest and are four end to live the rest of their life in the shrine. The priests are culturally married to the girls and only the priests can have affairs with the girls. This is a lifetime bondage; if the child were to run away or die, the family would be required to replace her with another virgin girl. If the priest and a girl were to have a baby, e child would have to grow up and live in the shrine forever.
~ arranged marriages are common among the Muslim societies in Ghana. Even before birth a marriage can be arranged, but the man cannot take the girl home with him until after her first mensie.
~ another practice, mainly done in Northern Ghana, in cutting off female genetalia (the clit). This is done to "clean" the female and to prevent premarital sex or temptation. About 20% of females have this procedure done between the ages 4 and 13. Many children bleed out and die during the procedure or become ill due to contamination of the tools used during the procedure.
- child labor is also an issue, especially in household activities and in mining communities. Children don't have to be part of the household to work there, a lot of the time they are hired help.
These are just a few terrible things that children are put through. These things are illegal, but the law is not enforced. These practices are embedded in the culture so people don't see it as corrupt and wrong. There are some groups that speak out against it, and many of them are led by people that these things have happened to, but it is important to make people aware of what is going on. Physically their isn't anything you may be able to do, but you can tell others and you can pray about it. You never know, maybe someone you tell will be the person who makes a big difference.
