Naakye Owudey I, the Queen Mother of Awutu-Bontrase in the Awutu Senya District, has expressed worry about the increasing spate of teenage pregnancies in the area.
Consequently, she has advised parents to build stronger and better family bonds that will translate into safer homes and reduce the many teen pregnancies in the community.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency during Awutu-Bontrase Ahobakese festival, the Queen Mother said better parent-adolescent communication and support were key to ending the phenomenon.
She expressed concern about how many parents did not relate well with their adolescents and only shout at them and instruct them, saying it was rooted in culture.
“Both parents and children are shy to discuss sex and sexuality in general and that is where we all get it wrong,” she noted.
According to her, 13 per cent of the total of pregnant women, who visited health facilities in the area from January to June this year, were teenagers.
Nana Badu encouraged parents to support their girls who might get pregnant to go back to school or learn a trade.
“We have done a lot of education, and this has had a lot of impact on the attitude and behaviour of parents in our community. Currently, we have three girls in Junior High School who got pregnant but have re-enrolled to go back to school.
“It has been great. I love the impact I am making in my community,” she stated.
Recently, she said, the Ghana Health Service commended the leadership of the community for their efforts, which they observed, had helped to reduce the incidence of teen pregnancies in the community.
She further indicated that girls, particularly pregnant adolescents, most often faced health risks and complications due to their immature bodies, and the babies born by them were also at greater risk.
“Teen and adolescent pregnancy can also have negative social and economic effects on the girl, their families, and the communities in which they live and it was about time stakeholders rigorously raised awareness of sexual and reproductive health and rights to protect them from abuse and connect them with education and health services,” she said.
The Queen Mother mentioned minimal information about sexual and reproductive health and rights, inadequate access to services tailored for young people, and child and forced marriages as contributing factors to teen and adolescent pregnancy.
She, therefore, called on parents to use their rich expertise to continuously counsel their girl child on the need to abstain from premarital sex, train them well, provide them with their needs, and show them much love, to make it easier for the girls to confide in their parents when they have any issues.
Children must also be reminded that they were the future of the country and must take their education very seriously, eschew negative peer pressure, boldly say “No” to boyfriend and girlfriend relationships, and rather aim high to become productive and self-sufficient in the future, she advised
