An influential traditional priest aged 63 has sparked an outrage in Ghana by marrying a 12-year-old girl.

The priest, Nuumo Borketey Laweh Tsuru XXXIII, married her in a customary ceremony held on Saturday.

In the face of criticism, community leaders have said people do not understand their customs and tradition.

The legal minimum age to get married in Ghana is 18 and the prevalence of child marriage has declined, but it continues to happen.

According to the global campaigning NGO Girls Not Brides, 19% of girls in the country are married before they reach 18 and 5% get married before their 15th birthday.

Videos and photos of Saturday’s elaborate event that was attended by dozens of community members have been widely shared on social media, triggering an outcry among many Ghanaians.

  • xePBMg9@lemmynsfw.com
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    7 months ago

    community leaders have said people do not understand their customs and tradition.

    I think critics understand their traditions. They just don’t agree with them. The law of the land doesn’t agree with it.

    The legal minimum age to get married in Ghana is 18

    So he is breaking the law. So jail then? No?

    • assassin_aragorn@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      community leaders have said people do not understand their customs and tradition.

      While it’s always good to be cognizant of cultural blinders, there comes a point where you can’t hide behind customs and tradition. There are certain non negotiables we don’t tolerate. Pedophilia is one of them.

      • Cuttlefish1111@lemmy.world
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        7 months ago

        This is the real aim of the White Supremacists movement IMO. First the pedophile joined the ranks of the Christians now the Nazis are coming for their seat at the table. The white supremacists values blend in with the Christians but not as much. If it is one thing the incel white supremacy community wants its young sex slaves. I’ve heard stories of when it used to happen. If you are a poc vote like your life depends on it, because it does.

    • themeatbridge@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      He’s a religious leader, so he has power and influence. Just like most countries, the courts cater to the powerful.

  • Amputret@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    7 months ago

    Ghana, where a consensual relationship between adults can get you a prison sentence, but noncing is a-ok.

  • Tamoato@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Paedophilia is never ok. If it’s a traditional element of some culture, then that element needs to be left in the past.

  • Vigilante@lemmy.today
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    7 months ago

    It isn’t even legal how is that perv not in jail ? Is this some fucking religious shit saving the pedo’s from consequences ?

  • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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    7 months ago

    This shit happens anywhere. Anywhere. I wonder why BBC cares about it. Surely its not propaganda with second intentions

    • ByteJunk@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      In an article about a disgusting POS abusing a minor, your concern is to shoot the messenger?

      What are you, a pedo?

      • FreudianCafe@lemmy.ml
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        7 months ago

        Imagine if BBC did it for every catholic priest who are pedos. They would need an entire division to cover those cases

        • DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world
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          7 months ago

          You’re acting like the Catholic Church is well regarded in England at all, lol, a certain British King put an end to all of that, and the Catholic Church helped wage a proxy war in Ireland for centuries in retaliation, with the poor Irish caught in the middle being used and abused by both sides.

          My point is, the BBC absolutely reports on priests/clerics getting in trouble for pedo stuff all of the time, both Catholic and all of the other flavors, including Islam. Sure the BBC is a biased government controlled media entity, but in this regard they do plenty of reporting on religious pedos, now if only they would out some of the government pedos in the British government.