A GNA Feature by Priscilla Oye Ofori
Accra, Dec. 30 GNA — Teenage pregnancy and early childbearing pose significant risks to both young mothers and their newborns.
It also increases their vulnerability to violence, stigma, and social exclusion from partners, parents, and peers.
These risks perpetuate in a vicious cycle which could be generational.
Men like Mr Kojo Manu, a 25-year-old motorcycle (Okada) rider and a beneficiary of the sensitisation programme to end teenage pregnancy, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) and child marriage in the Central Region, have become advocates and champions rather than perpetuators.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Manu said the programme was an eye-opener, leading to a change in his attitude towards adolescent girls.
“I used to engage in unprotected sex with adolescent girls, but I did not know it was illegal to engage with girls under 16 years. Now, I have stopped. ” Mr Manu said.
He said he had become an advocate, encouraging his colleagues to refrain from the bad practice, emphasising the legal consequences.
Mr Kwesi Adjei, also 25 a tricycle (Pragya) rider expresses his newfound understanding of the laws and punishment related to rape and defilement.
He vows to report child marriage cases in his community to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU), and has also learnt to limit his sexual partners to prevent HIV/AIDS.
Mr Kwame Mensah, a 35-year-old okada rider, admitted that he used to force women to have sex with him but now he had stopped after the training.
He shared that he advises others against engaging in indiscriminate sexual behaviour.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), an estimated 21 million girls aged 15–19 years in developing regions become pregnant annually, with around 12 million of them giving birth.
Babies born to mothers under 20 years are more likely to face low birth weight, pre term delivery, and severe neonatal complications.
Additionally, young girls who become pregnant before the age of 18 are at a higher risk of experiencing violence in marriage or partnerships.
The 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) reveals that one in every 10 (10.9 per cent) adolescents aged 15 to 19 years has ever given birth.
The percentage increases with age, with 19-year-olds having the highest rate of nearly a quarter (23.8 per cent).
The Ghana Health Service reported that 102,673 teenagers were pregnant in 2022, a figure slightly lower than the three-year average of 107,373 (2021-2023).
The total for the three years stands at 322,121.
Teenage pregnancy and early childbearing often lead to school dropouts, though efforts by the Ghana Education Service to re-integrate teenage mothers into the school system exist.
Nevertheless, this may jeopardise their future educational and employment prospects.
As such, strategies and interventions focusing on prevention are crucial.
One key approach to addressing teenage pregnancy, SGBV and child marriage is engaging men and boys on how to protect girls.
Research conducted by the National Youth Authority (NYA) in the Central Region has identified that perpetrators of these crimes are often pragya and okada riders.
The study was necessitated by the rising incidents of SGBV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in the region.
As part of this initiative, the NYA, in collaboration with the Central Regional Coordinating Council and supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), organised a training programme aimed at addressing these challenges.
Beneficiaries of the training were drawn from Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem, Cape Coast, Assin Fosu, Awutu Senya East (Kasoa), Gomoa East, Agona East, and Agona West.
Mrs Anita Nana Seguah Ansah, Central Regional Director of the NYA, said it was imperative for men and boys to be educated on the harmful effects of teen pregnancy, child marriage, and other negative practices.
She said when men and boys understand the issues, helping to solve them would be easier.
The Regional Director encouraged riders to act as ambassadors, spreading the knowledge to reduce the occurrence of these issues.
She said similar workshops had been held in Gomoa West, Cape Coast, and other districts, with feedback indicating improvements in the situation.
She said the NYA aimed to expand the programme to cover all districts in the region to tackle SGBV, child marriage, and STIs among the youth.
Hajia Safia Tamimu, Head of the Child Marriage Unit at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, reiterates that child marriage is illegal and a violation of human rights, denying girls their right to education and a childhood.
She urged parents to take responsibility for ensuring their children, especially girls, remained in school and became responsible citizens.
“We are fortunate that basic education is free, and the government has also introduced free Senior High School,” Hajia Tamimu added.
Detective Sergeant Richard Donkoh, Swedru Divisional, DOVVSU warned participants against the abduction of girls under16 years for sexual intercourse.
He said many young men and boys, who had brighter future, were languishing in jail due to defilement, rape and other SGBV infringements.
Sergeant Donkoh, therefore, urged them to be good ambassadors to educate their friends and brothers on Act 29/ 60 of the Criminal Law, which stipulates serious punitive measures for those who committed such offences.
Ms Abigail Appiah, a Peer Educator, Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), cautioned the riders against illicit sexual encounters, advising them to use condoms to prevent infections.
She also urged them to seek medical help instead of self-medicating, which can lead to complications, especially with STIs.
Mr Emmamuel K. Jones, Acting Programmes Officer, NYA, Central Region, attributed the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the municipality to factors such as poverty, illiteracy, and lack of parental care and supervision.
He said some of the riders lured the girls with cooked noodles (indomie) and fried rice.
He said over 200 of the riders in the region have been engaged.
Mr David Allan Paintsil, the Focal Person of UNFPA, said the programme was to help reduce the incidents of SGBVs in the region to ensure quality transformation of human development.
He said as part of the efforts to reduce the menace, similar programmes have been held for Muslims in Agona Swedru and Assin Fosu to ensure that males who were street hawkers, okada riders, and apprentices would eschew such harmful behaviour.
The fight against ending teenage pregnancy, child marriage requires continuous engagement with men and boys.
There is also the need to strengthen the collaboration of stakeholders as working together will yield effective results.
The government must make laws and enforce stiffer punishment for perpetrators of SGBV and child marriage to serve as deterrent to others.
GNA