A 12-year-old girl who was married to a 63-year-old high priest has been placed under police protection in Ghana.
Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, a spiritual leader in the Nungua area of the capital Accra, married the unknown child in a huge ceremony on Saturday.
Footage of the wedding was shared by a local news channel and showed the young lady in a simple white dress and matching headpiece.
Her new ‘husband’ was also seen putting a green wreath on her head.
Images of the wedding ceremony, which was attended by many in the priestly community, sparked a public outcry from many Ghanaians who pointed out that the practice was illegal.
Police were quick to respond, revealing that the child has since been taken into their care BBC References.
In Ghana, the legal minimum age for marriage is 18, but the West African country has a complicated history with the harmful traditional practice according to FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.
Child marriage was specifically criminalized in Ghana as part of the Children Act 1998.
UNICEF has mentionted a decline in practice, but notes that it is difficult to track due to the absence of birth certificates in some areas and the difficulty of proving whether a girl is a minor.
Recent statistics show that the country still has one of the highest prevalence rates of child marriage in the world, with one in four girls forced into the practice.
Police are now investigating the incident, with many locals praising their quick action.
The influential priest’s office defended the marriage, saying it was merely ceremonial, Yahoo News mentionted.
They also claimed that the girl “was groomed for this role since the age of six” without hindering her education, according to a local news media.
Police sought to reassure the concerned public, saying the government’s children’s minister and social welfare department have also been contacted to ensure the 12-year-old receives the necessary support.
But the video, which allegedly shows women telling the girl to dress teasingly for her husband in their local Ga language, has caught many off guard.
Local journalist Zubaida Afua Mabuno Ismail has cited claims that the marriage will not affect the girl’s education.
“The argument here is not about him not going to school, which we haven’t established yet. We say SHE’S A CHILD NOT A BRIDE,” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
As a spiritual leader, the priest – known as ‘Gborbu Wulomo’ – makes sacrifices on behalf of the community, prays for their protection, enforces cultural practices and leads traditional rituals.