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On International Day of the Girl Child, The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) joins the world in the call for the elimination of all forms of violence against girls and women, and looks towards a future in which all girls may freely reach their full potential, free from the fear of discrimination and violence. This year�s theme: �Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence�recognises the importance of investing in and empowering girls during adolescence: preventing and eliminating all forms of violence directed at them. Central to achieving this is putting an end to harmful traditional practices such, as child marriage, which continues to pose a danger to girls across the nation. According to UNICEF, Child marriage is a formal marriage or informal union before age 18. Unfortunately, Ghana is a nation with one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, and rather than decreasing, evidence indicates that the practice is on the rise. On average, one out of four girls will be married before their 18th birthday. According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS 2011), about 27% of the women aged 20-24 were married/in union before age 18. Data shows a mere 1% decline since 2003 (28%). While child marriage is common in Ghana, regional disparities are noticed in Upper East (39.2%), followed by Western region (36.7%), Upper West (36.3%), Central (31.2%), Ashanti (30.5%), Volta (29.3%), Brong Ahafo (29.1), Northern (27.4%), Eastern (27.2%), and Greater Accra (12.2%). Child marriage is a human rights violation which infringes on girls� basic rights to health, education, to live in safety and to choose when and whom they marry. It undermines girls� economic capacity and puts women and girls at increased risk of sexual, physical and psychological violence throughout their lives.It is on this basis that the Ministry is embarking on a three-year project with support from Dutch Government through UNICEF Ghana towards strengthening ourchild protection system. The focus of this project is to eliminate child marriage in Ghana. It is critical that as a country, we acknowledge that eliminating child marriage and all other forms of violence against women and girls requires a collective action. We need to mutually commit to end all human rights violations in order to fully develop as a country, as women and girls form a major part of the nation�s human resource. Ending child marriage will help accelerate efforts to achieve a safe, healthy and prosperous future for girls in Ghana. The Ministry wishes to applaud the efforts of civil society organizations, the media, local communities, development partners and individuals who have worked tirelessly towards the elimination of child marriage in Ghana. The Ministry reiterates its commitment to a strong coordinated effort with key stakeholders to champion the total elimination of child marriage and all forms of violence against women and girls to guarantee them a dignified life. We also pledge our support to the African Union in the recently launched campaign against child marriage. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is the Government Machinery mandated to ensure the promotion of gender equality through the mainstreaming of gender considerations to all persons especially the vulnerable. The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP)