The Project Officer of the Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana, Mr. Albert Apotele Nyaaba, has called on stakeholders and the media to promote the education of Issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health among young people to empower them to make informed decisions regarding their sexuality.
Mr. Albert Apotele said a report by the Ghana Health Service that revealed a high number of teenage pregnancies recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown especially among adolescents between 10-14 years which is largely due to inadequate information on sexual issues available to the adolescents is worrying. He therefore called on all stakeholders promote the education of Sexual and Reproductive health issues to inform young people on issues of their sexuality.
“After the lockdown, the Ghana Health Service churn out data that indicated that in 2021, we had a huge numbers of young people of 10-19 years including the 10-14 years who are very minor that also got pregnant and Upper East Region is one of the region that young people got pregnant a lot”
Mr. Apotele said the data is worrying and has necessitated the need for young people to be educated on issues of their sexuality and reproductive health education.
” In view of this, it is important that we get young people educated on issues of Sexual and reproductive health education. When we do that, we get them empowered to be able to make informed decisions on issues of their sexuality.”
The World Health Organisation has in a report on the effects of the Covid19 lockdown, predicted that “COVID-19 lockdowns may keep 1 million girls out of school in Africa” while data from the Ghana Health services reveal that about 30,444 teenage girls got pregnant between 2016 and 2020 in the Upper East Region.
Mr. Albert has therefore suggested that issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health Education be included in the education curriculum to make information available to adolescents wherever they are to help them make informed decisions.
” To be able to do this, one of the approach is to get Issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health education into our curriculum so that young people wherever they are and they are, they can get adequate and appropriate information regarding their sexuality”
Journalist have also been called to lead the way as agenda setters to educate young people and parents and even stakeholders to understand the need to allow adolescents and young people to get adequate information regarding their sexuality
“Journalist on their platforms and airwaves should be able to educate young people and parents stakeholders and to understand the need to allow young people to get adequate information regarding their sexuality”
Mr. Apotele was speaking at the end of a three days capacity building workshop organised by the Youth Harvest Foundation Ghana- YHFG, for selected journalists in the Upper East, North East and Savanna regions of Ghana to equip and update them on issues of Sexual and Reproductive Health issues to enable them report properly in perspectives and to adequately inform their audience.
By: Simon Agana Blessing/mywordfmonline.com