The Zonta Club Ghana has called on the government, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and parents to take urgent action to control and reverse the country’s teenage pregnancy trend.
According to a statement from ZONTA Ghana, it is concerned about the high rate of teenage pregnancy in the country, emphasizing the importance of taking immediate action to curb it as Ghana joined the rest of the world in commemorating World Population Day in 2021.
The Day, created by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, is observed annually on July 11 to raise awareness of worldwide population problems.
According to the statement, the number of teenage mothers in Ghana was worrisome and the issue needed to be investigated in order to develop measures to solve it.
According to recent statistics published by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), 301 girls are pregnant daily, with 13 teenage pregnancies occurring every hour.
“By the time a parent goes through a working day of eight hours, 104 teenage daughters would have been impregnated,” it noted.
Additionally, the GHS study said that 109,888 teenage pregnancies were reported in 2020, with the average age of a pregnant girl being ten years.
The Club said that these statistics should make every adult shudder when they learn how girls’ rights are being abused.
“Their basic right to life is hijacked, their right to education is stolen and their right to development is sabotaged by the perpetrators while parents and society look on.”
According to the statement, children as young as ten years old are being defiled by reckless maniacs, and society should stand up and speak up for these frightened youngsters, adding, “Somebody must protect our girls and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.”
As a result, the Club took on the duty of ensuring that no girl was denied access to study due to underage pregnancy.
It will consequently launch an intensive ‘Education and Sensitization Campaign’ in schools to raise awareness among girls about the need of being discerning when it comes to the offenders’ motives.
The Campaign, however, would fail if parents did not take a role in raising awareness at home, according to the statement.
“We call on the government, parents, churches, opinion leaders, Parent Teacher Associations, and CSOs to join in this sensitization campaign to drive the message home to the point where our girls can say no to sex and the perpetrators can be brought to book,” it said.
ZONTA is a global service organization dedicated to the development of women’s status. Accra Premier, Accra II, Accra Metropolitan, Tema, and Jubilee are among the clubs in Ghana.
Read Also: Presidential spouses have no defined roles; they can’t be paid salaries – TUC
SOURCE: ATLFM ONLINE
