By J. K Nabary, GNA
Winneba (C/R) Oct. 16, GNA - Mrs. Theywill Eyram Kpe Central Regional Gender Director of CAMA has described the continuous high rate of Adolescent Pregnancies in the region in recent years as alarming.
According to her, the region placed second in teenage pregnancy recorded in 2016-2017.
She said even though the region’s teenage pregnancies of 13,014 recorded in 2015 was reduced to 11,619, it was unacceptable for a small region like the central region and therefore called for all and sundry to help curb the menace, as it was persistently affecting education of the girl child.
Mrs. Eyram Kpe was addressing about three hundred parents, school children, and teachers from various parts of the central region at Winneba to commemorate the 2018 International Day of the Girl Child.
As part of the event, school children embarked on a float through the principal streets of Winneba amidst brass band music and later assembled at the Ghana Police Command and Staff College where they were addressed.
The event themed “Eradicating Child Marriage and Teenage pregnancies: A time to press for a change is now”, was organised by CAMA a Non-Governmental Organisation into various activities including; sensitisations, training, and advocacy and mentoring at helping to eradicate child marriage and teenage pregnancy in the society.
Mrs Eyram Kpe attributed the high rate of adolescent pregnancy in the region to the increasing numbers of child marriage/cohabitation, and added that some teenage mothers were compelled to co-habit with men who impregnated them thus depriving them of education and future career development.
She announced that MICS 2011, central region recorded the second highest increase of 8.3 percent in child marriage from 22.2 percent in 2006 to 31.2 percent in 2011 among the ten regions in the country.
She also stated that data collected from 5,112 pregnant teenagers in central region by the Ghana Health Service between July and December 2016 also indicated that 23.8 percent of the girls aged 13-19 were cohabiting while 5.3 percent were married.
She reminded female school children in the region that as young girls there were not only competing with their peers locally, but globally, it is important therefore to note that in the current state of the world’s development, education is the most important tool for the empowerment of any young person.
“As young people, you should therefore pursue your education with all the seriousness, focus and determination it demands in order to secure a better future for yourselves, your society and Ghana as a whole” Mrs. Eyram Kpe further advised.
She urged young girls especially school going ones to muster the courage to report any sexually
Crime and child marriage they might come across to the appropriate quarters for the necessary action to be taken against such perpetrators to serve as deterrents to others.
She further urged teenage girls to remember that the surest way to protect themselves from the menace of pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases was to abstain themselves from sex at less until there were self-made and working, she added.
GNA
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