Chief campaigns against teenage pregnancies

Nana Obrempong Nkrumah VI, Chief of Assin Adiembra in the Assin South District of the Central Region, has called on traditional and religious leaders in the area to collaborate to end the increasing number of teenage pregnancies.

He said there must be a strong collaboration between parents, traditional authorities, teenage girls and other stakeholders to address the increasing menace of teenage pregnancies derailing the ambitions of many young girls.

This, he explained, will help curb the high rate of school dropouts mainly as a result of sexual violence to enable them live fruitful lives.

Nana Obrempong Nkrumah VI made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of a sensitization programme for students on teenage pregnancy in the community.

He said the phenomenon of teen pregnancy is a development issue rooted in parental neglect, poverty, gender inequality and violence, and so there is the need to directly engage the victims and perpetrators to educate them on its consequences.

Nana Nkrumah VI urged parents and guardians to complement the efforts of the state in curbing the high incidence of teenage pregnancy.

“They must open up to discuss sex-related issues with their children especially girls in their puberty, to protect them from being swayed by social challenges, wrong social media information, bad influence and deceit by unscrupulous males and sexual exploitation, he said.

Nana Nkrumah VI identified irresponsible parenting as a major contributory factor that makes innocent teenagers engage in amorous relationships, which often lead to pregnancies.

He urged parents to take full responsibility in the upbringing of their children, provide them with the basic needs and educate them because education formed the foundation for development.

Nana Nkrumah VI expressed worry over the waning interest, reluctance and complete refusal by communities to participate in communal labour.

He blamed the lack of citizens’ support for development on too much division among the people who are supposed to share values and a common vision to aid development.

Nana Nkrumah VI urged the citizenry not to see communal labour as a punitive action, but a means to re-awaken and instill the spirit of volunteerism in them.

He appealed to Ghanaians to put aside political affiliations and seek for unity, peace and hard work.

Source: GNA

Source: citifmonline.com