Voggu (N/R), Dec. 15, GNA – Residents of Voggu in the Kumbungu District of the Northern Region have been sensitised on the rights of women and children as a means to minimising early and forced marriages and teenage pregnancy.
The Pan African Organisation for Research and Protection of Violence on Women and Children (PAORP-VWC), a Non-Governmental Organisation operating in the Northern Region, sensitised the people at a community durbar, which was also to create awareness on hazards of child trafficking and roles of parents in enhancing child rights.
It was dubbed: “Enhancing Vulnerable Women and Children’s Rights Promotion and Protection: The Role of Traditional Rulers, Civil Society Organisations and Local Stakeholders.”
Dr Peter Ndonwie, the Director of PAORP-VWC, said the organisation was keen on issues of women and children owing to their vulnerability in society.
He said children, irrespective of their sex, should be given equal educational opportunities as it could greatly affect the rate of teenage pregnancies in the community.
Madam Mariam Suleman, a Girl-Child Officer at the Ghana Education Service in Kumbungu, expressed worry at the rate at which parents withdrew their children from school as early as class three, indicating that it was at that stage the girls needed more formal education.
Madam Joana Keller, a German Representative of Women World Day of Prayer, assured the community of her outfit’s readiness to support the education of more children in the area, emphasising on the importance of education to their well-being.
The Paramount Chief of Voggu, Chief Sulley Saaka, expressed gratitude to the organisation for the sensitisation and expressed the hope that community members, especially parents, would take the education of their children seriously.
GNA