A 12-year-old girl was told to dressing teasingly and boost her sex appeal for her new husband as she married a priest aged 63.
The influential traditional priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married the teen in a ‘customary’ ceremony on Saturday.
He is one of the most powerful people in their community, taking a wife as part of his role as a high priest, according to local media.
She is among the 5% of girls married before their 15th birthday in Ghana, according to Girls Not Brides, an NGO.
It is illegal to marry people under the age of 18 in Ghana, but that hasn’t stopped child marriage in the West African country.
Despite the prevalence declining, there are more than two million child brides in Ghana, with roughly 19% of girls married before they’re 18.
Community leaders are keen to dismiss criticism of the marriage as anything potentially criminal or sinister.
But women could be heard encouraging the girl to dress teasingly and use gifted perfume to be more sexually attractive to the priest, in footage of the event.
Videos and photos show dozens of community members attending the wedding, which sparked outrage among Ghanaians on social media, the BBC reported.
Under a video on Facebook, one concerned Ghanaian wrote: ‘Customary wife??? Child marriage is criminalised in Ghana and no rite that violates a girl’s rights to achieve her full potential should be celebrated’.
Another said: ‘There are so many things wrong with this country, and this is one of them!?? How is a 12-year-old becoming a wife in 2024?! Is this some silly joke???’
Mr Tsuru is one of the most senior figures in the Nungua community in the capital, Accra, where he is a ‘Gborbu Wulomo’, or traditional high priest.
He performs sacrifices, prays for the community’s protection, and enforces cultural practices in the community both he and the girl belong to.
Community leaders resorted to using the Biblical story of Mary and Joseph to deflect criticism they said ‘comes from a place of ignorance’.
The girl’s role as the priest’s wife is ‘purely tradition and custom’, according to local community leader Nii Bortey Kofi Frankwa II.
He said the girl had started preparing for the role six years ago, without it interfering her education.
That’s not the end of her initiation into the role of priest’s wife.
She’s expected to undergo a second ‘purification’ ceremony that will empower her to fulfill her role.
Procreation and childbirth is a ‘crucial’ part of this role being given to the 12-year-old.
This has led to calls for authorities to intervene.
Although ‘customary’ marriages are recognised by Ghanaian law, child marriages masquerading as ‘culture’ or ‘tradition’ are not legal.
Government authorities are yet to respond to the controversy.
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