The Central Regional Director of the Department of Gender, Mrs Thywill Kpe, has explained that the war being waged by the department to eliminate the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy and other sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is yielding positive results.
She made this known at a capacity-building forum for more than 600 adolescent girls in the Gomoa West and Mfantseman District in the Central Region.
It was on the theme: “Empowering the girl child to prevent GSVB, teenage pregnancy and early marriage.”
Forum
The forum, organised by the Department of Gender, in collaboration with the regional coordinating council, and funded by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), was aimed at building the capacity of young girls in the Central Region on the effects and prevention of teenage pregnancy, SGBV and early marriage.
Statistics available from the 2015 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICs) and the Ghana Demographic Health Survey Report (GDHSR) 2014 put the region as the fourth highest with child marriage prevalence rate in the country.
The absolute records on antenatal coverage released in the Ghana Hearlth Service report shows that in 2013, cases numbering 13,715 were covered, increasing to 23,332 the following year but that reduced to 13,013 in 2015.
The GDHSR for 2015 shows that more than 13,000 teenagers, representing 14.4 per cent of teenage girls in the region, got pregnant, showing a gradual decline from the previous years.
It said more than 31 per cent of girls in the region were married off before the age of 18.
Forced marriage
Mrs Kpe bemoaned the practice of forcing girls into early marriages, saying this has the potential of denying them the educational opportunity and skills development, thereby exposing the victims to prenatal difficulties such as fistula, malnutrition, haemorrhage and maternal deaths.
She stated that some cultural practices such as female genital mutilation and widowhood rites impacted negatively on victims and society and underscored the need for such practices to be discarded.
She said the UNFPA in 2008 indicated that 47 per cent of girls with no or little education were more likely to marry before their 18th birthday as compared to 15 per cent of girls who attended high school, an indication that the more educated the girl child, the less likely she would be involved in early marriage
“With the high child marriage prevalent rate, SGBV, as well as teenage pregnancy, there is the need for institutionalisation and pragmatic measures to reduce the rising incidence,” she stressed.
Empowerment
Mrs Kpe, however, expressed the hope that with the continuous efforts in empowering girls to understand the dire consequences of teenage pregnancy and early marriages, reproductive health and rights, it would inculcate in them the need to protect themselves and consequently provide better future.
The Regional Coordinator of DOVVSU, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr George Appiah-Sakyi, expressed worry about the increase in the cases of child abuse, defilement and non-maintenance of children in the region.
He said defilement cases rose from 209 in 2014 to 212 in 2015 with non-maintenance rising from 912 in 2014 to 938 last year.
He pledged the unit’s commitment to partner various agencies to educate the public on the effects of SGBV and the need to report such incidents.
CHRAJ
Mr Theophilus Tetteh Tuwor of the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) took participants through the laws on SGBV and protection of the rights of children.
Similar forum was held for 600 girls at Dominase in the Central Region.
