By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, Aug 12, GNA – The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advocates Network in the Upper East Region has called for bold and coordinated action to address the increasing teenage pregnancy rates.
The Network, in a statement issued to mark this year’s International Youth Day, observed globally under the theme, “Youth Empowerment for a Sustainable Future”, described teenage pregnancy as a major threat to the education, health, and future of girls in the region.
According to statistics from the Ghana Health Service, between January and May 2025, the region recorded 2,436 teenage pregnancies, including 25 cases involving girls aged 10 to14 and 2,411 involving those aged 15 to 19.
The statement described teenage pregnancy as “more than a health issue,” warning that it was a developmental emergency with far-reaching consequences such as school dropouts, health complications during childbirth, psychological distress, and economic burdens on families and public systems.
It identified the root causes of the problem as the lack of comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, cultural taboos around adolescent sexuality, gender-based violence, poverty, transactional sex, and limited access to youth-friendly health services.
The statement urged the National Youth Authority, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to integrate reproductive health education into school and community programmes to intensify education.
It also called for the expansion of adolescent-friendly health services across districts, strengthened legal and psychosocial support for survivors of sexual violence, and engagement families, traditional leaders, and faith communities in open dialogue to find sustainable solution to the menace.
It also called for mobilisation of resources and partnerships to scale up interventions aimed at ending teenage pregnancy.
“Teenage pregnancy should never be a barrier to a girl’s dreams. Every girl deserves the right to education, safety, dignity, and opportunity,” the statement said, adding that on International Youth Day, all stakeholders must reaffirm their commitment to empowering youth and creating a future where every girl can thrive.
The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Advocates Network is a group of non governmental organisations and civil society organisations, working together to address critical issues affecting the growth and development of adolescents and young people in the Upper East Region.
They work collectively including sharing of information to end issues such teenage pregnancy, child marriage, sexual and gender-based violence, school drop outs among others to create decent futures for young girls.
The statement was jointly signed by members of the Network, namely Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, AfriKids, Rise Ghana, Restorative Seed Society, Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), INTYON, the Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health (Upper East Region), Camfed Ghana, UERCC-UNFPA/Focal Person, Asige Foundation, and Right To Play and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Bolgatanga.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Benjamin Mensah