Young homeless first-time voter Maa Afia has shared how a heated argument with her father led to her being thrown out of their home and ultimately pushed into prostitution. With her mother battling mental illness and mostly absent, her father was the only consistent figure in her life. However, after marrying a woman who didn’t accept her, Maa Afia faced mistreatment at home. Following a violent incident where her father hit her with a belt, she reported him to the police, which resulted in her being expelled from the house.
In a candid interview on 'Just Turned 18' with Lois Shola Adeyemi, Maa Afia explained that her search for stable employment proved futile, leading her to the streets of Kwame Nkrumah. “Now I prostitute to get money, but it’s not lucrative,” she said, highlighting the constant threat from authorities and the recent destruction of her belongings by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly. She lost her Ghana Card and National Health Insurance card, making it difficult to access medical care if needed.
Maa Afia’s situation is echoed by other first-time voters like Ama and Aisha, who left home to support their families despite their parents’ wishes. Ama stated, “If I go home, I will be sad. At least I can send some money to them from the street.” Aisha, whose mother lives in America, also expressed her determination to help her family. Similarly, Isaac moved to Accra after a ban on galamsey activities made it impossible to sustain his family. He, along with others like Wisdom, Kojo, and Yaw, left home with dreams of financial stability but is struggling to survive.
These young individuals often receive payment from political parties to attend rallies, only to find that promises of support go unfulfilled. Disillusioned, many have lost interest in voting. They hope that the government will address their needs, believing that true support is the only way to motivate them to participate in the upcoming 2024 elections. Life on the streets is fraught with challenges, and they seek genuine change from those in power.
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