By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Navrongo (U/E), June 26, GNA – Pe Denis Aneakwoa Balinia Adda Asagpaare II, the Paramount Chief of the Navrongo Traditional Area, has called on men to become actively involved in the upbringing of their children to help curb teenage pregnancy, child marriage, and other harmful practices in society.
He said fathers must not leave the responsibility of raising children solely to mothers, stressing that effective parenting required the joint commitment of both parents.
“If you are a man and you say you cannot talk to your daughter or your children cannot approach you, it means a lot. There are some men who do not even know how their children are progressing in school, while the women struggle every day. The woman alone cannot do much,” the Paramount Chief stressed.
Pe Asagpaare II made the call during an engagement with officials from the Department of Gender, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Ghana Education Service (GES), traditional authorities, and development partners to review progress made in ending child marriage and other harmful cultural practices in the Navrongo Traditional Area.
The meeting formed part of a monitoring exercise supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to assess interventions implemented following the traditional area’s declaration of commitment to ending child marriage.
The Paramount Chief urged husbands to support and respect their wives, noting that strong family relationships created a conducive environment for raising responsible children.
He observed that girls often found it easier to confide in their mothers than in their fathers and, therefore, called for stronger collaboration between both parents to address challenges confronting adolescents.
He encouraged communities to sustain advocacy efforts through community groups, including existing village savings and loans associations, churches, and other social platforms, to educate parents and young people on the dangers of child marriage and teenage pregnancy.
He also urged community members to promptly report cases of child marriage and related abuses to traditional authorities for appropriate action.
Dr Edmund Nellic Nyanwura, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Director of the Ghana Health Service, expressed concern over adolescent pregnancies and maternal deaths among young girls.
He disclosed that last year, seven girls below the age of 15 gave birth in the municipality, while 357 girls aged between 15 and 19 also delivered, adding that although the figures had begun to decline due to intensified interventions, teenage pregnancy remained a major public health concern.
Dr Nyanwura noted that two maternal deaths recorded during pregnancy and childbirth involved 15-year-old girls, while another young girl died after attempting an unsafe abortion.
He said the Municipal Health Directorate had expanded adolescent-friendly health services and trained health workers across facilities to improve access to reproductive health services while continuing to promote abstinence and healthy lifestyles among adolescents.
Mr Maxwell Adapesah, the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Deputy Director of the Ghana Education Service in charge of Planning, said child marriage continued to affect schoolgirls, particularly in communities along the municipal boundaries.
He explained that the GES had intensified school sensitisation programmes, established girls’ clubs, and provided career guidance to encourage girls to remain in school.
He added that UNICEF had supported vulnerable girls with educational materials, including school bags, sandals, exercise books, and mathematical sets, to reduce their vulnerability to child marriage.
Mr James Twene, the Acting Upper East Regional Director of the Department of Gender, said the engagement was intended to assess progress made after the Navrongo Traditional Area pledged to end child marriage and other harmful practices.
He said the findings would be documented and shared with UNFPA to inform future interventions and strengthen support for traditional authorities and stakeholders working to protect children and promote girls’ education.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/George-Ramsey Benamba
Reporter: Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Email: [email protected]