In what was the first service of the month of Ramadan, with a group of Muslim faithful, held at the Presidency of the Republic, Sissoco Embaló, who had also banned begging for children in the country, addressed the issue of female child marriage that has been a practice in several Islamic communities in Guinea-Bissau.
"Don't accept anyone's marriage. Whoever gives you in marriage, don't accept it, you can come and talk to the President", said Umaro Sissoco Embaló when addressing a group of female children who prayed for the first time in the backyard of the Palace of Republic, in Bissau.
After personally asking each of the children their name, age and whether they go to official school, Umaro Sissoco Embaló invited them to deny any intention of marriage.
"Whoever talks to you about marriage, tell him that you don't want to because you want to go to school", said Embaló. 15, 17 or 20 years”.
"Children have to go to school. In Guinea-Bissau, the official school is in Portuguese, but we don't stop anyone from sending their child to the Koranic school", observed Sissoco Embalo, who wants to see the children train as doctors, engineers or lawyers.
