Kumasi: Ms. Mavis Achiaa Opoku, the Kwadaso Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on stakeholders to collaborate to help promote adolescent reproductive health. She emphasized the importance of reproductive health and gender-based education for advancing gender equality, improving health outcomes, and strengthening social cohesion. This call to action was made during a stakeholder engagement organized under the auspices of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) 8th Country Programme (2023-2027), aimed at promoting adolescent health, gender equality, and preventing gender-based violence.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event was held under the theme: 'Empowering Community and Youth for Adolescent Health, Gender Equality, and Preventing Gender-based Violence Through Civic Engagement.' Ms. Achiaa Opoku highlighted the significance of the event, noting that it provided a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and coordinated action in addressing issues such as adolescent pregnancy, family planning, and harmful social practices that affected young people, particularly girls and underserved youth.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that complications from pregnancy and childbirth remain the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19 globally. Each year, an estimated 21 million girls aged 15-19 in low-middle-income countries become pregnant, with 12 million giving birth.
Madam Rita Pulere Gbarinaa from the Ghana Health Service underscored the importance of adolescent health, describing the ages of 10-19 as a critical stage of physical, emotional, and social development. She clarified that family planning for adolescents is focused on empowering them with knowledge and tools to make informed decisions, rather than promoting sexual activity among the youth.
Ms. Joyce Amponsah Kusi, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, explained that gender-based violence involves physical, sexual, psychological, or economic harm inflicted on individuals based on gender. She stressed that gender-based violence often stems from gender inequality and harmful social norms, urging for intensified community education through churches, mosques, and information centers to combat the issue. She added that parents must take full responsibility for their children by providing their basic needs.
The stakeholder engagement drew participants from local government, traditional and religious leaders, service providers, civil society organizations, local NGOs, representatives from girl or youth empowerment clubs, security institutions, and the media.
