Girls Caucus: Making Strides Against Forced Marriage in the Fulbe Communities in Northern Ghana

The Girls Caucus initiative has proven to be instrumental in providing young girls safe spaces to interact, engage and contribute to social and behavioral change. Members of the Girls caucus have taken the initiative to actively engage other young Fulbe girls in their communities, educating them on the dangers of forced and early marriage. Impressively, their impact goes beyond awareness as in the case of Abiba Jallo, a member of the Fulbe wing of the girls’ caucus. She used skills gained from trainings to help a young girl who was been pressured into marriage. Abiba supported the young victim fight for her right, secured her an opportunity to learn a trade and gained support from her family, the latter usually being hard to get.  

Abiba narrates;

 “After the Girls Caucus training, I have been posting some educative issues regarding the training on my WhatsApp status, and a girl from my village reached out to get an advice on what to do and how to approach the issue of getting married to an elderly man. I asked her what exactly she wanted which she explained that she wanted to learn a hand skill. I advised her to speak to her parents and let them know what exactly she wants and they support her decision. She later on spoke to her mum who also followed her to engage her father and everything went well. She is now learning tailoring and her family is in support of her decision.”

Similarly, Mohammed Nafisa, the Northern regional women organizer for FUYAG and also a member of the girls’ caucus, facilitated the prevention of another forced marriage, ensuring the girl could pursue vocational training.

Mohammed Nafisa narrates;

“We were on our community sensitization trip and a parent (mother) engaged us to help rescue her daughter who was about to be given out to an elderly man for marriage. She told us that her husband was the difficult one who we had to speak to and convince. We spoke to the father and it wasn’t easy but later on the father asked us to get something for his daughter to do in order to avoid the issue of the marriage happening. Currently the girl is in Tamale learning a handiwork.”

Growing Stronger Together:

The Girls Caucus is a movement on the rise and providing young Fulbe girls the agency to empower themselves and other young girls. They mobilize and interact with each other via WhatsApp which has in a short span doubled their numbers thus increased their membership. To widen their reach and provide all the opportunity, they have a dedicated offline network for those without smartphones, bringing their total reach to over 80 young women across the five northern regions. Recognizing the power of community, they've launched a peer-to-peer support system within the group and are planning online mentorship programs with future in-person meetings.

Building Bridges for a Brighter Future:

The Girls Caucus understands that change requires collaboration. They proactively sought the support of Fulbe community leaders in the Northeast region. Their efforts were met with a positive response, with leaders expressing their commitment to supporting the Caucus's mission to empower young Fulbe girls and uplift the community.

Amplifying Voices and Education:

The Caucus is fostering open dialogue through virtual discussions on their WhatsApp pages, focusing on issues specific to young women within the Fulbe context. They've also conducted outreach programs in Fulbe communities, educating girls on critical health and education topics.

Abiba Jallo shared the enthusiastic response they received after discussing personal hygiene with girls, highlighting their eagerness for further discussions.

 “…we went and engaged some young Fulbe girls and we spoke about personal hygiene and they enjoyed it. They have been reaching out to us telling us to come back and discuss these kinds of issues.” She indicated. 

Leading the Way:

The Girls Caucus is a true inspiration for young women's leadership. They took the step to organize a virtual election to select their leadership which demonstrated their commitment to self-governance and determination to be a powerful force for positive change.

The Girls Caucus is a shining example of what young women can achieve when they come together and are given the needed resources. Their fight against forced marriage, focus on education and empowerment, and their collaborative spirit are paving the way for a brighter future for young Fulbe girls in northern Ghana. We're excited to see what they accomplish in the near future.

Compiled by Bukari Ayuba

Edited by Yakubu Hamdiatu

2024