A child bride in Ghana who was married to a 63-year-old traditional priest is 15 and not 12 as earlier reported, the country’s Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister has said.
“My latest information which you obviously have is that she is almost 16…July somewhere she will be 16,” Minister Stephen Asamoah Boateng said in an interview with Citi FM radio station on Tuesday.
Mr Boateng added that although the girl was older than initially reported, she was still a minor and his ministry would work with other agencies to protect her rights.
The chief of Nungua traditional area, where the ceremony was held, told Citi FM that the girl was 13.
The legal minimum age to get married in Ghana is 18.
There has been public outrage after footage of Saturday’s customary wedding was shared on social media.
On Monday, police said they had identified and tracked down the girl and that she would be under their protection as they investigated the controversial marriage.
The office of the influential priest, who serves an indigenous community in the capital, has continued to defend the ceremony, saying it was a betrothal and the girl is not expected to perform marital duties yet.
The deputy attorney-general, Diana Asonaba Dapaah, has directed the police to investigate the issue, noting that a marriage of any kind to a minor, including a betrothal, was illegal and punishable under the country’s law.