By J. K Nabary
Bonsuoko (C/R), Oct 14, GNA- International Needs Ghana, a Christian, non-profit organisation, (INGH) in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is executing the Promoting Regional Adolescent Safe Spaces (PASS) project in Gomoa East, Awutu Senya East and West.
The execution of the project forms part of the Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage.
Officers from the Central West Domestic Violence and Victims’ Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service at Kaos, led adolescents at the session.
The officers threw more light on Sexual and Gender-based Violence (SGBV), how it could be prevented, what the response should be if someone goes through such incident and where to report such issues.
The children also had a one-on-one interaction, asking questions on what they gathered from the session and also received explanation with such questions from the DOVVSU personnel.
Facilitators, Mrs Justina Annan, a nurse and Mr Jacob Arhin, a teacher, and some parents spoke on the subject matter.
Mr Isaac Ofori, Project Assistant with the INGH working on the PASS project, said the engagement began in 2019 in the Cape Coast Metropolis and Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem Municipality and expanded to Mfantseman, Agona West and Assin Fosu Municipalities and currently working in 15 communities across Awutu-Senya- East, Gomoa-East and Awutu-Senya-West.
He said that a key component of the PASS was community engagement on a platform created for adolescent girls, parents and caregivers to discuss strategies for ending child marriage and other harmful cultural practices.
He said the Project, designed for adolescents from ages10 to 19, have 31 contact hour schedule, covering subjects that bother on the development of the adolescent.
According to Mr Ofori, the overall aim and objective of the Project was for all adolescents to have the requisite information to enable them to grow properly, make informed decisions about their relationships and help end child marriage.
“We meet the adolescents in schools, and community centers across the beneficiary communities with facilitators made up of nurses, teachers and community members who have been trained to take them through their 31-hour contact schedule.
“Topics in their training manual are treated, while the project managers also monitor the activities that are done across the various communities and also engage the adolescents when we meet them.”
He said topics such as personal hygiene, menstruation, adolescent pregnancy, sexual and gender-based violence, were taught together with how they could become economically independent as they grew.
“The primary goal of the Project is to ensure that the Adolescent will enjoy their childhood free from the risk of child marriage and other forms of child abuse,” while empowering them to take control of their own lives by making good use of information gathered at the engagement to make well informed choices about themselves,” he added.
Ms Gloria Mateko Asare, PASS Project Manager, on her part stated that, safe spaces served as a platform for adolescents, including pregnant adolescent girls, adolescent mothers and victims of child marriage, school dropouts and girls with special needs.
According to her these adolescents access critical support services and engage in educational activities that affected their well-being and development, while encouraging positive masculinity and promoting gender-equitable norms that challenged harmful cultural practices.
Ms Asare said boys and young men also became allies in advocating for fairness and equity while fostering positive masculinity among themselves to prevent gender-based violence and discrimination.
She indicated that through PASS, adolescents were empowered to advocate for their rights, while communities gained the knowledge and tools necessary to protect and support themselves.
“As the primary agents of change in young people’s lives, parents play a crucial role in enabling adolescents to exercise and enjoy their rights.
“Consequently, it is essential to step up advocacy on parental responsibility and foster deeper engagement on the critical impact of active consistent parenting.”
She said community custodians, and traditional leaders held the trust and influence needed to drive lasting change, hence it was critical for the Project to collaborate with them to build a safer environment particularly, for adolescent girls.
“When we engage traditional leaders who are key stakeholders in the grooming of children in their communities, they become instrumental in challenging harmful norms, preventing SGBVs, and advancing gender equality at the roots,” she added.
GNA
Edited by Alice Tettey/Benjamin Mensah