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Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Hon. Sarah Adwoa Safo has disclosed that in 2020 13 teenage pregnancies were recorded every hour in Ghana.
The sharp rise in this alarming phenomenon, she said, was attributed to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and worsened an already precarious situation.
According to her, records from the District Health Information Management system (DHIMS) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) indicate that last year 2,865 girls between 10 and 14 years and 107,023 girls between 15 and 19 years got pregnant.
A regional breakdown of the report indicates that the Ashanti, Eastern and Central regions recorded the most cases with 17,802, 10,865, and 10,301 respectively.
The Minister made this disclosure in a keynote address delivered on her behalf at a 3-day National Gender Equality Clinic for adolescents on Friday 18th June 2021 in Accra.
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Participants were adolescents drawn from various schools across the 16 regions of the country who are being taken through topics such as sexual and gender-based violence, child marriages, rights and responsibilities of children, career guidance and entrepreneurship among many others.
According to her, in Ghana, adolescent girls are most vulnerable to Harmful Traditional and Cultural Practices (HPs), Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) of all forms and unwanted pregnancies.
“Available statistics indicated that in 2019, 14,920 cases including rape, defilement, incest, and compulsory marriage were reported to the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service.”
“Although culture gives identity to groups of people and can provide many benefits to members of a community, some cultural practices are harmful and an affront to the dignity of members of the same society,” she stated.
Sexual and Gender-based violence, she said, has also been a major factor undermining the health, dignity, security and autonomy of victims who are mostly women and girls, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence.
She stated that promoting good sexual and reproductive health and rights is a critical prerequisite for the enhancement of human development.
The Government, she said, accords high priority to improvements in the health status of adolescents and children and through the MoGCSP has initiated various interventions to ensure that adolescents grow up attaining their full potential and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Ms. Selina Owusu, a Gender Analyst with the United Nations Population Fund, (UNFPA) in her speech observed that promoting gender equality is crucial for sustainable development globally and nationally.
According to her, over the years women have made great strides and accomplishments in the workforce with their contributions being acknowledged more than ever.
“However, they continue to face systematic barriers that hinder their growth and development daily.”
“The transition process from childhood to adolescent is a confusing and challenging phase for most girls as they struggle to understand some changes in their bodies and form their self-esteem, identities, gender expressions and roles.”
“They deal with issues regarding their menstrual health, body images, sexuality, self-esteem, mental and physical health among other things and become susceptible to misinformation, peer pressure, adolescent pregnancy, accidents, abortions, violence among other health and gynaec conditions.”
The gender equality clinic session, she said, is, therefore, a step in the right direction to accelerate action to promote gender equality for development.
Ms. Selina Owusu stressed that the mentorship sessions will yield pragmatic solutions and results to build the capacity of the adolescents and urged all the participants to pay close attention to the discussions, take notes and ask questions in order to get answers to all their reproductive health needs.
In the welcome address, Head of Department of Gender at the Ministry, Faustina Acheampong lamented that though women and girls make up more than half of the world’s population yet, they are regularly discriminated against.
“It is necessary for society to acknowledge that the potential for growth and prosperity can be achieved when women and girls are empowered and afforded equal opportunities as men and boys.”
“Hence, it has become prudent to include men and boys in gender equality dialogues for a sustainable progress in combatting discrimination.”
She encouraged girls to take their studies seriously to fulfil their potentials as great leaders and agents of change in the home, community and the country as a whole.
Later in an interview with the Ghanaian Publisher, some of the participants indicated the programme is very educative and offers an opportunity to openly discuss some topics that have almost become taboo.
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Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
