By Solomon Gumah
Tamale, Oct 12, GNA-Northern Regional Secretariat of the National Youth Authority (NYA) has marked this year’s International Day of the Girl-Child with a call on various stakeholders to collaborate and fight for an equal and secure nation for girls and young women.
Mr Mumuni Sulemana, Northern Regional Director of NYA, speaking during the event in Tamale, expressed the need to empower young women with entrepreneurial skills to reduce gender inequality, sexual and gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies, child marriages, and domestic violence amongst others.
The event was organised by the NYA in partnership with Norsaac, YEFL- Ghana, and Youth Challenge International and attended by youth groups to engage them on the importance of girl-child education, leadership skills and their reproductive health rights.
It was on the theme: “Our Time is Now – Our Rights, Our Future”.
The International Day of the Girl-Child is observed annually on October 11, to raise awareness on issues affecting girls’ growth and development.
Mr Sulemana said it was unacceptable to abuse the girl-child adding that it limited their growth and development, hence the need for institutional collaboration to tackle the menace of child marriage and teenage pregnancies by investing in adolescent girls’ education.
Mr Edmond Wisdom Quansah, Country Project Lead, Youth Challenge International (YCI) said “Despite the Free and Compulsory Universal Basic Education, almost a quarter of a million girls aged six to 14 years, had never attended school at all whilst three out of every 10 of these girls are in the Northern Region.”
He said as part of measures to support the government’s efforts in empowering the girl-child, YCI had implemented several programmes to help girls realize sustainable livelihoods using social entrepreneurship as a tool.
Ms Blessilla Na-Afoe Kandoh, Youth Advocacy and Campaigns Coordinator at Norsaac spoke against shielding people, who perpetrated sexual and gender-based violence.
Madam Miriam Bonah, Senior Midwife at Tamale Central Hospital advised young women to prioritise their reproductive health needs by adopting healthy lifestyles and ensuring regular medical check-ups.
GNA