By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bongo (U/E), Aug. 8, GNA – The Forum for African Women Educationalists-Africa (FAWE-Africa), an international non-governmental organisation, has called on stakeholders to increase efforts to address the many challenges confronting adolescents.
Speaking during a monitoring visit to beneficiaries of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Education (SHARE) project in Bongo, Mr Martin Okhako, Project Officer at FAWE-Africa, observed that despite the gains made over the years, more needed to be done.
He stressed the need for proper enforcement of legislation and intensified education for collective efforts and increased dialogue to sustainably tackle the menace.
“Teenage pregnancy and child marriage are major issues, and their consequences are well known in communities. It is one of the challenges that most governments have been battling with because the largest population segment is the youth, the adolescents, on whom we rely for the future.
“The data we have, indicate that most teenage pregnancy cases result in school dropouts across many African countries, which ultimately affects their chances of becoming the future leaders we envision,” he said.
The SHARE project is a five-year initiative being implemented in Ghana by a consortium led by Right To Play and supported by WaterAid Ghana, FAWE-Ghana, and FHI360, with funding from Global Affairs Canada.
The project, which is being rolled out in the Kassena-Nankana and Builsa Municipalities, as well as the Kassena-Nankana West and Bongo Districts, aims to advance gender equality by providing access to age-appropriate sexual and reproductive education and gender-responsive care for young people, especially young women and girls.
The monitoring visit formed part of efforts to assess the implementation of the project and its impact on the beneficiary communities, so that lessons can be learned and replicated in other areas.
Mr Okhako explained that although Ghana, like many other African countries, had outlawed practices such as child marriage, the implementation of such laws remained problematic and called for stronger enforcement of laws that protect adolescents and young people.
“In Kenya and other countries, there is a lot of sensitisation and talk about the roles of various stakeholders, including parents, caregivers, teachers, and government institutions, on how best to address the issues affecting teenagers.
As a result, there have been positive changes, with many adolescents becoming more resilient,” he said.
He urged the government to incorporate sexual and reproductive health education into the curricula of basic schools to address the root causes of adolescent challenges.
“That way, as they grow up, they will be exposed to information, such as understanding that once they start menstruating and have sex, they can become pregnant,” he said.
Mr Eli Katsakpor, Programmes Officer at FAWE-Ghana, called for increased education on the use of contraceptives, especially condoms, to prevent teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
Madam Celestina Awuni, a Public Health Nurse with the Ghana Health Service in Bongo, said the statistics on teenage pregnancy in the district were still concerning, despite some reductions in recent years.
She urged parents to be more responsible in curbing indiscipline and risky behaviours among adolescents.
Mr Philimon Ataba, Assemblyman for the Bongo-Soe-Tamolga Electoral Area, indicated that the SHARE project had contributed to increased knowledge of sexual and reproductive health issues.
He expressed hope that this would boost efforts to tackle teenage pregnancy and child marriage in the area.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Christian Akorlie